NRC NIST Postdoc NonAwardees - CoverLetter

Attachment 4
Cover Letter for Survey of NRC NIST Non-Awardees

NRC NIST POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATESHIP PROGRAM
EVALUATION
Dear Sir or Madame, [WE WILL USE MAIL MERGE TO CUSTOMIZE]
I am contacting you today on behalf of the National Research Council (NRC) and the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) to participate in a survey of the NRC Research Associateship
Program at NIST. NIST’s International and Academic Affairs Office (IAAO) has contracted Westat, an
independent research firm located in Rockville, Maryland, to conduct the survey (OMB No.: 1234-5678).
The survey is being administered to randomly selected individuals who applied for an NRC postdoc at
NIST between 1980 and 2010. The survey is designed to be completed in about 30 minutes.
·

Why is NIST conducting the study? NIST is conducting the study to collect information on
current professional activities and experiences of applicants of the NRC Research Associateship
Program at NIST. The collection of the evaluation assessment data will provide NIST with a
better understanding of the professional pursuits and activities of NRC postdoctoral applicants.

·

How does NIST protect the confidentiality of the information that survey participants
provide? The survey data are being collected by Westat; individual responses to the survey will
not be shared with NRC or NIST. Personal information (including name) will be removed from
survey data and a random ID code will be assigned to each participant. The information collected
will be published in aggregate form only and will not identify individuals in any reports or
presentations.

The survey can be accessed online at [website address]. Your USER ID and PASSWORD appear on
the enclosed Web Survey Information Sheet. We recommend that you complete the survey online, but
you may also download from the above website an electronic copy of the survey to print, if preferred. The
printed survey should be sent to Kimberley Raue at the address found at the bottom of this letter. Please
complete the survey only once, using either the online or printed version.
We ask that you complete the survey within 2 weeks. For technical inquiries, you may contact me at
[email protected], 1-800-937-8281, ext. 3865 (toll free) or 301-294-3865. If you have
any questions about this study, please feel free to contact the Principal Investigator Dr. Keith MacAllum at
[email protected], 1-800-937-8281, ext. 8854 (toll free) or 301-610-8854. You may also
contact Dr. Susan Heller-Zeisler, NRC NIST Program Manager in the IAAO, at [email protected].
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,

Kimberley Raue
Westat Survey Manager for NIST
1600 Research Blvd.
Rockville, MD 20850-3195
Phone: 1-800-937-8281, ext. 3865 (toll free) or 301-294-3865
E-mail: [email protected]