Invitation Letter

[Organizing Body]

93 Perry Street[Street Address][Street Address] Error! Bookmark not defined.[City][City], Error! Bookmark not defined.[State][State] Error! Bookmark not defined.[Postal Code][Postal Code] Phone: [Phone #]  Fax: Error! Bookmark not defined.[Your Fax][Your Fax]
E-Mail: [xxx@xxx.org] Web: Error! Bookmark not defined.[Web Address][Web Address]

Date: [Insert Date]

[Recipient]
[Title]

[Company]
[Address 1]
[Address 2]
[Address 3]

Dear [Recipient]:

Over the past few years there has been an increasing interest in the development and availability of standards and measurement services to help improve the quality and traceability of infrared optical property measurements and data of materials and surfaces. The evidence for this has come in many ways, including the discussions and conclusions of a series of EO-IR Workshop Meetings (see http://www.sdl.usu.edu/conferences/eo-ir/ ) as well as direct inquires and requests to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). One of the outcomes of the second EO-IR Workshop in 2006 eventually led to a NIST-conducted inter-comparison of near-normal infrared reflectance measurements at laboratories across the nation, as well as the establishment of standards and calibration services at NIST. You can find out more about the current NIST offerings in this area at http://www.nist.gov/pml/div685/grp04/iropm.cfm.

In order to more clearly quantify the status of the demand and specify the detailed requirements, we have produced the enclosed survey questionnaire for your consideration and input. It covers the primary topic of Angle Dependent Spectral Reflectance Standards for the Infrared along with a few questions related to user instrumentation and thoughts on the EO-IR Workshop Series. The completed questionnaires will be analyzed and the results will be presented at an appropriate conference such as the next EO-IR Workshop, and published in a appropriate journal such as Optical Engineering or Applied Optics.

Your survey responses will be kept confidential, in that neither you nor your company/agency will be specifically identified in any presentation or publication of results. Only broad categories of respondents will be identified, such as “aerospace”, “energy”, “industry”, “academic institutions”, or “government agency”.

We would appreciate any opinions and comments that you may have relating to the topic. We will be accepting responses until [Month-Day-Year], and sending a reminder shortly before the due date. A webpage has been set up, where the survey PDF, the status and eventual results will be available. Please submit the survey electronically via e-mail to me at hanssen@nist.gov.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Title]