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NSF
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NATIONALSCIENCEFOUNDATION
4201 WILSON BOULEVARD,ARLINGTON,VA 22230 ~ WWW.IVSF.GOV
August 17,2016
To Whom It May Concern,
Ryan Lee completed a student internship as a member ofthe National Science
Foundation (NSF),Grantee Cash Management Section(GCMS)during the period from
May 31,2016through August 17,2016. Ryan's overall performance during his
internship was excellent. Ryan focused on a trend analysis project that examined grant
recipient spending patterns over time.The project involved reviewing grant expense
data, which consisted of more than 44,000 records,for all NSF grant recipient
institutions. Ryan's work required him to apply analytical knowledge,communications
skills, and creativity. Ryan culminated his project with a briefing to NSF senior managers
on his findings. The trends analysis revealed groups of grants with inconsistent
spending patterns. Ryan's recommendation to establish a monitoring process for grants
with low spending rates was approved and will be implemented during the upcoming
fiscal year.
In addition to the trend analysis project, Ryan assisted the GCMS staff with many other
grant payment and financial administration activities. The experience has enabled Ryan
to develop a good understanding ofthe basic business processes for grants activity at
NSF. Ryan has experienced the nature of interactions that the Federal government staff
can have with public institutions,such as our grant recipients, and gained an
appreciation for the role ofgovernment agencies in terms of monitoring of grant
financial activity and accounting policy.
Ryan also gained experience using several of NSF's information technology systems
including the core accounting system,the web based award payment system,and
financial management data bases. While this is agency specific learning, it does provide
an appreciation ofthe types oftechnology currently in use and also provides a degree of
guidance on future learning opportunities in areas such as data analytics, which is a
critical requirement at this agency for our overall financial management operations.
Ryan contributed positively to the success ofthe section. I would recommend Ryan for
employment at NSF. He would be an asset to any employer.
Should you need additional information, I can be contacted at mhowe@nsf.gov or at
703-292-8285.
Sincerely
Michael L. Howe
Senior Staff Associate for Internal Control(Detailee)
Division of Financial Management