Supporting Statement for Input from the arctic research community to the NSF’s Arctic Science Section (ARC) Portfolio Review Com

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 3145-0215)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Input from the arctic research community to the NSF’s Arctic Science Section (ARC) Portfolio Review Committee, which is reviewing ARC’s past successes and potential future changes in the programmatic scope, structure, and balance of funding.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this survey is to learn from the U.S. arctic research community its perception of whether the current structure and funding balance of the NSF’s ARC best meets the needs for future arctic research. This will be important input to a Portfolio Committee that is evaluating NSF’s Arctic Science Program and recommending potential future change.

In recent decades, Arctic’s sea- and land-ice extent have diminished substantially, and northern communities face significant cultural and economic changes. While this is a time of concern, it is also full of opportunities for the 4 million people including 400,000 Indigenous people living in the North. The rapid changes have brought the Arctic to the forefront of intra-agency, interagency, and international focus. At the National Science Foundation (NSF), Navigating the New Arctic has been selected as one of NSF’s ten Big Ideas which is marshaling interest and expertise from across the foundation. Internationally, the Arctic Council has been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize, for being “a model of fraternity” in challenging times for both the Arctic and the World.

Because of these events, now is a critical and exciting time to examine NSF’s Arctic Sciences Section (ARC) programs. ARC is a unit within the Office of Polar Programs (OPP), in the directorate of Geosciences (GEO) at the NSF. ARC funds research within and across a wide range of research disciplines, all affected by rapidly changing natural and social Arctic systems. In March 2018, a committee, 16 Arctic experts from a range of disciplines, has been assembled to review ARC programs.

This committee created a survey to gage the research community’s understanding of the current structure and whether it addresses the community’s needs. The survey responses and information provided by the section will be used to evaluate ARC’s current programmatic structure, offer recommendations for the future, and provide guidance on how to best leverage the rising interest in the Arctic region.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Researchers who have submitted proposals or participated in ARC panels in the past decade. The survey will also be shared on social media (e.g. Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook) and on the Interagency Arctic Research and Policy Committee’s collaboration portal for broader outreach.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [x] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name:__Suzanne H. Plimpton, NSF Reports Clearance Officer_______________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [x] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [x] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [x] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Educator/science community	65	15 minutes	16 hours
Totals	65	15 minutes	16 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is __$0__________

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [x] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

The survey will be distributed via various scientific community listservs and social media.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[x] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [x] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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