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HERBERT J. C. KOUTS
1919–2008
elected in 1978
“For contributions in nuclear engineering, especially physical principles and
safety of nuclear power reactors and nuclear materials safeguards.”
COURTESY OF BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY
sUBMiTTed By THe Nae HoMe secreTary
HERBERT J. C. KOUTS, who joined Brookhaven National
laboratory (BNl) on July 1, 1950, and retired as a senior
physicist on october 24, 1989, died at age 88 on January 7,
2008.
The long-term value of Kouts’s achievements was recog-
nized in 2005 with the american Nuclear society’s (aNs)
George C. Laurence Award for “his pioneering contributions
to advancing nuclear safety and his remarkable career of lead-
ership in initiating, guiding and executing national and inter-
national programs of great and lasting importance.”
Kouts received a B.S. in mathematics in 1941 from Louisiana
state University and, after service in the U.s. air force from
1942 to 1945, an M.s. from louisiana state in physics in 1946.
He earned his Ph.d. in physics from Princeton University in
1952.
At BNL, Kouts’s first position was as an associate physicist
heading the reactor shielding group at the Brookhaven
graphite research reactor, which operated until 1968. in 1952
he became head of the experimental reactor Physics group,
then headed the reactor Physics division in 1956. He received
tenure in 1957.
In 1963, Kouts won the E. O. Lawrence Award from the
atomic energy commission (aec), an agency that evolved
into U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). He was cited “for
253
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254 MeMorial TriBUTes
the development of new experimental techniques in reactor
physics and their applications to a better understanding of
theoretical models of chain reacting systems.”
Kouts was one of the five coinventors of the High Flux
Beam reactor (HfBr), in operation from 1965 to 1999. in 1988
the ANS cited experiments at the HFBR in which “the data
obtained have played a central role in the development and
understanding of solutions to many problems in solid state
physics, chemistry, and structural biology.”
In 1968, Kouts became the first head of the new Technical
support organization at BNl, which was established to advise
and assist the aec on nuclear safeguards. five years later, in
1973, he became the aec director of the division of reactor
Safety Research. Then in 1975 he became director of the Office
of Nuclear regulatory research for the newly formed Nuclear
regulatory commission (Nrc). He was honored with the
distinguished service award from the aec in 1975 and from
the Nrc in 1976.
Kouts returned to BNL in 1976 as head of the International
Safeguards Project Office, being named chair of the
department of Nuclear energy in 1977. He became a member
of the international Nuclear safety advisory group of the
international atomic energy agency (iaea) in 1985, and,
following the chernobyl nuclear reactor accident in april
1986, he coauthored the iaea’s report on chernobyl.
In 1988, Kouts stepped down as department chair,
continuing at BNl as a senior physicist. retiring a year later,
he was named presidential appointee to the defense Nuclear
facility safety (dNfs) Board, an agency that oversees nuclear
safety at doe defense facilities. He remained there until 1997,
then became a consultant until 2000. as Newsday quoted dNfs
Chair A. J. Eggenberger, “Kouts had a tremendous influence
in nuclear safety matters, essentially through the life of the
industry until now.”
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255
HERBERT J. C. KOUTS
His wife wrote:
“Herbert Kouts was an avid reader and he loved to
travel to places all over this country and the world. He
loved to sail and kept various sailboats in the Bay near
our house. He also was a music lover and he enjoyed
attending symphonies, chamber music concerts, ballet,
and the opera. He liked to work on our house in Bellport,
painting and fixing things. He enjoyed being with his
children and grandchildren. And he also loved to fix
delicious meals for all of us!”
A resident of Bellport, Herbert Kouts is survived by his
wife Barbara; daughters catherine sigmon and anne golden;
stepsons francis spitzer, Michael spitzer, and daniel spitzer;
and nine grandchildren.
