During the second week of July, the Cologne Luminescence Laboratory (CLL) head sent personnel to Montreal to participate in the 14th International Luminescence and Electron Spin Resonance Dating conference (LED 2014). Six posters were presented including three of the CRC 806 context. Melanie Bartz presented her work on "Luminescence dating of fluvial sediments – Landscape dynamics around the Palaeolithic site Ifri n'Ammar, Marocco", Franz Hartung on "First insight into γ-dose rate estimation in heterogeneous sediment contexts using BeO dosimeters", and David Strebler on "Using R for TL dating – the age of the Taibeh (Jordan) heated silex".
More than a possibility to present and discuss our first results with the luminescence community, this conference was an excellent opportunity to meet luminescence dating specialists from all over the world, exchange ideas, and get an insight into the latest research advances made by other dating labs.
However, a conference in a foreign country is not only about work. It also provided the opportunity to discover the beautiful city of Montreal, to have an overview on the development of the regional landscape during the Quaternary period and to visit the Droulers-Tsiionhiakwatha archaeological site where an Iroquoian village, occupied for at least 10 years at the end of the 15th century, has been reconstructed.
We came back to Germany, our heads full of new ideas to pursue our research topics, improve our luminescence dating protocols and help the CLL to continue to be a global player in luminescence dating.
Group picture of (nearly) all scientists present in the Montreal LED 2014. Photo: Lux Laboratory, UQUAM (led Panorama 1) |