NCNR Users Survey Supporting Statement

OMB Control No. # 693-0031 – NIST Generic Request for Customer Service-Related Data Collections

NIST Center for Neutron Research User’s Survey

FOUR STANDARD SURVEY QUESTIONS

1. Explain who will be surveyed and why the group is appropriate to survey.

The User Program at the NCNR, which processes proposals and facilitates the use of the instrumentation at the Center, hosts about 1000 researchers arriving at NIST from academe, industry, and government each year. This User Program thus facilitates the major measuring service we at the NCNR provide to the science and technology community, and the feedback we receive through the User Group from these knowledgeable people is important in helping us keep the NCNR a leading neutron facility in the U.S.

2. Explain how the survey was developed including consultation with interested parties, pretesting, and responses to suggestions for improvement.

The survey form was designed and developed by the former head of the User Group, Professor Anne Mayes of MIT, in consultation with managers of the User Program at NCNR. To preserve continuity, the current version (attached) has been updated only to include new and moved instruments, and will be updated again in 2015 when the suite of instruments being developed for the newly constructed guide hall are all in place.

3. Explain how the survey will be conducted, how customers will be sampled, if fewer than all customers will be surveyed, expected response rate, and actions your agency plans to take to improve the response rate.

Every effort is made to assure that every incoming user receives a copy of the survey document upon arrival for an experimental session. They are asked to turn in the survey to the User Office when they leave. The expected and experienced response rate is a few percent. The User Group makes decisions as to the adequacy of the survey and response rate, but from informal comments from the users, we think that this rate reflects the generally trouble-free and productive sessions that users experience at the NCNR facility.

4. Describe how the results of the survey will be analyzed and used to generalize the results to the entire customer population.

The analysis, processing and other decisions regarding the results of the survey are entirely in the hands of the NCNR User Group. They may provide feedback to an independent National Research Council Board of Assessment that overlooks NCNR activities and to the Director of the Center. The Director of the NCNR regards this feedback as a key element in helping us continue to develop a vibrant user community and to maintain the NCNR as the nation’s leading neutron facility.