DUŠAN SRDOČ (1929–2020): IN MEMORIAM

Abstract

Dusan Srdoc was born on January 11, 1929, in Rijeka, Croatia. He graduated from the Technical Faculty of the University of Zagreb in 1953 and was employed at the Ruđer Boskovi´c Institute (RBI) in Zagreb, Croatia, where he founded a laboratory for the development and production of detectors of ionizing radiation.Dr. Srdoc and his team also developed and implemented the coupled vacuum preparation lines and electronic system for data acquisition and data evaluation. The Ruđer Boskovi´c Radiocarbon Laboratory, the first of this kind in southeastern Europe, was founded in 1968. During 1969 the whole system was tested, in 1970 the first radiocarbon dating results were obtained, and the next year they were published as Datalist I in Radiocarbon (Srdoc et al. 1971). The laboratory also implemented the measurement of tritium activity concentration by gas proportional counter, and both the multi-wire counter and the sample preparation line were produced by the laboratory staff. Dr. Srdoc was one of the founders of the Yugoslav Radiation Protection Association (YRPA) in 1963 and its first secretary. He represented Croatia and YRPA at the First International Congress on Radiation Protection in Rome in 1966. Later, this congress was recognized as the First International Congress of IRPA, the International Radiation Protection Association. We will remember Dr. Srdoc as a diligent and devoted scientist who initiated many new research topics at the Institute. For the current laboratory staff, his most important legacy is the founding of the Radiocarbon Laboratory, which is still in operation and following the top techniques and topics in the field. Dr. Srdoc taught us to look at our results from various standpoints, to question the conclusions, to not be afraid of the critics, and to continuously improve our knowledge and skills.