VTK support letter

[Daniel James White]

Dear All,

if you use/develop software that uses VTK,
please take a min to send them a support letter to help Kitware get NIH funding to continue their great work that many of us reuse.

cheers

Dan



Begin forwarded message:

> >
> > On Fri, May 20, 2011 at 8:12 AM, Will Schroeder <[hidden email]> wrote:
> > Dear VTK Community-
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Kitware is submitting a software maintenance grant to the NIH in early June and we’d like you to send us a letter of support. This five year proposal aims to make significant improvements to VTK including rendering architecture enhancements (mobile and web platforms), large data additions targeted at biomedical data, improved interaction capabilities, community support (improving the software and contribution process, documentation), and outreach to five leading medical research institutions (UNC, JHU, UH, Stanford, Brigham).
> >
> > We are very excited about the proposal since it will make a very positive impact on VTK and its associated community, as well as the many affiliated applications that use VTK. However, we can really use your help. Part of the strategy of our proposal is to demonstrate to the reviewers that VTK plays a critical part in medical innovation. Along this line we are including many “formal” letters of support from leaders in biomedical research, however, and probably more importantly, we want to hear from the developers and users of VTK.
> >
> > If you’d like to help, we have included a brief example letter which you can use verbatim, or modify as necessary to fit your circumstances. Place this text on your letterhead, sign it, and then send it (a scanned pdf is fine) directly to me by June 1. The letter in no way obligates you or your employer, it simply states “VTK is great and important to my work.” Also, don’t worry if you are not doing biomedical research, we want to hear from everybody. Note that this information (i.e., the names of endorsers) is considered private, only the writers of the VTK proposal and the NIH review team will see this information.
> >
> > If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly. Thanks and we hope to hear from you (by June 1).
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Will Schroeder
> >
> > ---------------------- Sample Letter of Support ---------------------
> >
> > Dr. WIllian J Schroeder, President and CEO
> > Kitware, Inc.
> > 28 Corporate Drive
> > Clifton Park, NY 12065, USA
> >
> >
> > Dear Dr. Schroeder-
> >
> > I enthusiastically endorse your proposed effort to improve VTK. I use this open source software in my work and have found it extremely helpful as we create new technological solutions. VTK fills a vital role in the international community’s scientific computing infrastructure; additional developments along the lines that you propose will certainly accelerate innovation.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Helpful VTK Community Member
> >
> >
> > --
> > William J. Schroeder, PhD
> > Kitware, Inc.
> > 28 Corporate Drive
> > Clifton Park, NY 12065
> > [hidden email]
> > http://www.kitware.com
> > [phone]
> >
> >
> >

Dr. Daniel James White BSc. (Hons.) PhD
Senior Microscopist / Image Processing and Analysis
Light Microscopy Facility
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Pfotenhauerstrasse 108
01307 DRESDEN
Germany

[phone] (German Mobile)
+49  (0)351 210 2627 (Work phone at MPI-CBG)
+49  (0)351 210 1078 (Fax MPI-CBG LMF)

http://www.bioimagexd.net                BioImageXD
http://pacific.mpi-cbg.de                Fiji (is just ImageJ - batteries included)
http://www.chalkie.org.uk
[hidden email]
( [hidden email] )