Concept
Billy V. Koen (born March 2, 1938) is professor emeritus, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin where he has taught for over 41 years. Koen is a nuclear engineer, author, and innovator in engineering methods and education. Billy Koen received a BA in Chemistry and BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin (1960 and 1961) and Diplôme d’Ingénieur en Génie Atomique from the Institut national des sciences et techniques nucléaires, Saclay, France (1963). He received his MS (1962) and ScD (1968) in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a consultant to the French Atomic Energy Commission (1971-1972 and 1976-1977). Billy Koen was a visiting professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (東京工業大学) (1994, 1998-1999, and 2001). He is a fellow of the American Nuclear Society. Koen has held numerous offices in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), including Vice-President for Public Affairs. Professor Koen is a Fellow of ASEE, and has received several awards including the Chester F. Carlson award for innovation, the W. Leighton Collins award for service to engineering education, and the IEEE Centennial Medal. In nuclear engineering and artificial intelligence (AI), Koen pioneered the use of has AI in solving complex reactor safety issues and has overseen the research of a large number of graduate students. Representative publications: Hansen, K.F., Koen, B.V., Little, W.W., "Stable Numerical Solutions of the Reactor Kinetics Equations, "Nuc. Sci. & Eng., 22, 51-59 (1965). Koen, B.V., "Méthodes Nouvelles Pour L'Evaluation de la Fiabilité: Reconnaissance des Formes," Commissariat à L'Energie Atomique, Rapport CEA-4368, Juin, 1972, (English Translation: "New Methods for the Evaluation of Reliability: Pattern Recognition"). Macdonald, J.L., Koen, B.V., "Application of Artificial Intelligence Techniques to Digital Computer Control of Nuclear Reactors," Nuc. Sci. & Eng., Vol. 56, No. 2, Feb. 1975, pp.
