Mathematics’ Werner E. Kohler honored with emeritus status by Board of Visitors

Werner E. Kohler, professor of mathematics in the Virginia Tech College of Science, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive an emeritus certificate from the university.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1973, Kohler made significant contributions to the mathematics of wave propagation in research projects supported by the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Kohler co-authored with a widely used textbook on differential equations and was respected by students and colleagues for the clarity and depth with which he taught courses at all levels of the mathematics curriculum.

At Virginia Tech, Kohler served for many years as a curriculum liaison between the Department of Mathematics and the College of Engineering.

Kohler received his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College, a master’s degree from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (known today as New York University Tandon School of Engineering), and a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, New York.