The DRI community and the field of geology lost one of the great scientific minds, Dr. Glenn Berger. One of the world's foremost scientists in luminescence dating, Berger's distinguished career began before his arrival at DRI in 1994. His international reputation for research in geological and environmental sciences has continued to gain momentum thanks to his work in geochronology, geoarcheology, paleoenvironmental records, applied environmental studies and optical dating.

On Monday, December 12 at 4 p.m. DRI will hold a Celebration of Life for Glenn in the Stout Conference Center. We hope that you will join us in celebrating Glenn's life and his work. We will have a reception immediately following the service. Please send your RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Wednesday, Dec. 7th.

Dr. Berger's Career

A Research Professor in the Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Dr. Berger's career focused on two distinct research areas. In the 1970s, he was one of a handful of pioneers in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, a rock dating technique in which the total accumulation of stable types of argon from the radioactive decay of potassium is measured directly and precisely by mass spectrometry. This research led to the development of the now globally used method of 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology for determining ancient thermal histories of basement rock.

Dr. Berger then turned his attention to luminescence geochronology in the 1980s by conducting seminal experiments in thermoluminescence dating on unheated sediments and volcanic ash. This is a method that measures the total accumulation in crystals of natural ionizing-radiation effects by counting photons of extremely dim light released in the laboratory as luminescence. The intensity of this light is directly related to the length of time a crystal has been buried, therefore, the older the specimen, the greater the luminescence level. Dr. Berger also used this technology to look at relatively new sediment. In a current project with Drs. Jack Gillies and Nicholas Lancaster he was identifying dunes that are 30 to 40 years old.

During his career he earned The Dandini Medal of Science, DRI's highest annual recognition for scientific accomplishment. He also directed the E.L. Cord Luminescence Geochronology Laboratory, a state-of-the- art facility for conducting photonic dating of Quaternary sediments.