tracking demographic data of sc performers

Tracking Demographic Data Tracking Demographic Data of SC Performersof SC Performers

Linda G. Blevins, Ph.D.Linda G. Blevins, Ph.D.Office of Basic Energy SciencesOffice of Basic Energy Sciences

Office of Science, U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Science, U.S. Department of EnergyAugust 3, 2006August 3, 2006

BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES – BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES – Serving the Present, Shaping the FutureServing the Present, Shaping the Future

http://www.science.doe.gov/beshttp://www.science.doe.gov/bes

Motivation

• Eight of 11 SC COVs recommended SC collect demographic data such as gender, ethnicity, and career stage for investigators and reviewers.

• SC currently does not do this.• If SC did collect demographic data, it could do the following:

– Assess trends in the evolution of science.– Measure the impact of program changes.– Identify institutional barriers to full participation.– Raise staff awareness of diversity.– Tap into the full spectrum of scientific talent.

• As a leader in funding the physical sciences and a steward for the national laboratories, SC has a responsibility to manage its programs in the most professional way.

• It is DOE policy to foster “…a culture of inclusion and respect that values, embraces, and promotes diversity.”

http://www.sc.doe.gov/measures/cov.html

Grants.govDOE IIPS

SCIMSC

PrincipalInvestigator

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SC hard driveP:\ IIPS

The Path Taken by a Proposal Submitted to SC

A proposal enters through Grants.gov, passes through Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS), and is saved by SC staff on a common hard drive. Data from the proposal are entered into Information Management for the Office of Science (IMSC) by SC staff.

Why can’t SC collect demographic data?

• DOE information technology data bases are not Systems of Records.

What is a System of Records?• A System of Records is defined in the Privacy Act of 1974 as a "...group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is

retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual." • A Record is "...an item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, his

education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains his name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual...."

Why does being a System of Records matter?

• An agency must publish an announcement of the system in the Federal Register, inviting public comment:

– Identify the government statute(s) and/or regulation(s) that allow collection of such data.

– Explain • which data would be collected• who would see the data• what it would be used for• how it would be protected

• Members of the public are allowed to submit Privacy Act requests to receive copies of their own data and to make corrections.

• Establishing a new System of Records or making changes to an existing System of Records is estimated to take several months to more than a year.http://www.cfo.doe.gov/execsec/foia.htm

Planned Upgrade to DOE IT Systems and its Effect on the Path Taken by a Proposal

Grants.govDOE IIPS

SCIMSC

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DOE STRIPES

STRIPES = Strategic Integrated Procurement Enterprise Systemcurrently being set up and will “go live” in January 2008

Two Options for SC Data Collection

1. Use Personal Data Form from Grants.gov. (NSF method)2. Establish a separate stakeholder registration system, with

registration required prior to submitting or reviewing proposals. (NIH method)

http://apply.grants.gov/agency/FormLinks?family=3

Grants.govDOE

STRIPESSC

IMSCPrincipal

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IMSC a System

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Option #1

NIH eRA Commons

https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/

Grants.govDOE

STRIPESSC

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SC Stakeholder Registration

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Option #2

Conclusions• The Office of Science does not collect

diversity data because key DOE computer systems are not Privacy Act Systems of Record.

• There are two good options for collecting such data if a decision were made to do so.

Thank [email protected]

tracking demographic data of sc performers

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