Obituary -- Martin J. Berger

Martin J. Berger, former Chief of the Radiation Theory Section and Director of the Photon and Charged-Particle Data Center at NBS, died on November 6, 2004 at the age of 82, from the effects of a hematoma following a fall in which he struck his head. Dr. Berger was born in 1922 in Vienna, Austria. He earned a B.S. degree with a major in physics in 1943, received an M.S. and PhD, in physics in 1951, all at the University of Chicago. He started working at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in Washington in 1952. His main area of interest was mathematical physics in relation to the penetration, diffusion and slowing of high-energy radiations through matter, and he rose to fame because of his theoretical works and Monte Carlo codes in the fields of electron and proton transport. He published more than 149 scientific papers, including the seminal 1963 monograph, "Monte Carlo Calculation of the Penetration and Diffusion of Fast Charged Particles". During his career at NBS, Berger received several awards for distinguished service, including the Silver and Gold Medals of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the 1990 Radiation Science and Technology Award from the American Nuclear Society. In August of 2003, he was awarded the L. H. Gray Medal by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, becoming only the eleventh recipient of this prestigious award. In October of that same year, Mr Berger was added to the NIST Gallery of Distinguished Scientists, Engineers and Administrators. The Washington Post (November 28, 2004) carries an obituary written by Joe Holley.