John Koza
Encyclopedia
John R. Koza is a computer scientist
and a former consulting professor at Stanford University
, most notable for his work in pioneering the use of genetic programming
for the optimization of complex problems. He was a cofounder of Scientific Games Corporation
, a company which built computer systems to run state lotteries in the United States. John Koza is also credited with being the creator of the 'scratch card' with the help of retail promotions specialist Daniel Bower.
Koza has a PhD
in computer science
from the University of Michigan
(1972). His thesis was titled On Inducing a Non-Trivial, Parsimonious Grammar for a Given Sample of Sentences.
John Koza has his own company Genetic Programming Inc., and uses a 1000 node Beowulf cluster, composed of Pentium II
and DEC Alpha processors, to do his research.
Koza was featured in Popular Science
for his work on evolutionary programming that alters its own code to find far more complex solutions. The machine, which he calls the "invention machine", has created antennae, circuits, and lenses, and has received a patent from the US Patent Office.
In 2006 Koza suggested a plan to revamp the Electoral College in the United States such that candidates would be elected by a National Popular Vote
.
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
and a former consulting professor at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, most notable for his work in pioneering the use of genetic programming
Genetic programming
In artificial intelligence, genetic programming is an evolutionary algorithm-based methodology inspired by biological evolution to find computer programs that perform a user-defined task. It is a specialization of genetic algorithms where each individual is a computer program...
for the optimization of complex problems. He was a cofounder of Scientific Games Corporation
Scientific Games Corporation
Scientific Games Corporation is a New York City-based company that provides gaming solutions to lottery and gaming organizations worldwide. Products include instant lottery games, lottery gaming systems, terminals and service, and internet applications....
, a company which built computer systems to run state lotteries in the United States. John Koza is also credited with being the creator of the 'scratch card' with the help of retail promotions specialist Daniel Bower.
Koza has a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1972). His thesis was titled On Inducing a Non-Trivial, Parsimonious Grammar for a Given Sample of Sentences.
John Koza has his own company Genetic Programming Inc., and uses a 1000 node Beowulf cluster, composed of Pentium II
Pentium II
The Pentium II brand refers to Intel's sixth-generation microarchitecture and x86-compatible microprocessors introduced on May 7, 1997. Containing 7.5 million transistors, the Pentium II featured an improved version of the first P6-generation core of the Pentium Pro, which contained 5.5 million...
and DEC Alpha processors, to do his research.
Koza was featured in Popular Science
Popular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
for his work on evolutionary programming that alters its own code to find far more complex solutions. The machine, which he calls the "invention machine", has created antennae, circuits, and lenses, and has received a patent from the US Patent Office.
In 2006 Koza suggested a plan to revamp the Electoral College in the United States such that candidates would be elected by a National Popular Vote
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement among U.S. states designed to replace current state rules governing the electoral college system of presidential elections with rules guaranteeing election of the national popular vote winner...
.
Works by Koza
- Koza, J.R. (1990). Genetic Programming: A Paradigm for Genetically Breeding Populations of Computer Programs to Solve Problems, Stanford University Computer Science Department technical report STAN-CS-90-1314. A thorough report, possibly used as a draft to his 1992 book.
- Koza, J.R. (1992). Genetic Programming: On the Programming of Computers by Means of Natural Selection, MIT PressMIT PressThe MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts .-History:...
. ISBN 0-262-11170-5 - Koza, J.R. (1994). Genetic Programming II: Automatic Discovery of Reusable Programs, MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-11189-6
- Koza, J.R.; Goldberg, David; Fogel, David; & Riolo, Rick, (Eds.) (1996). Genetic Programming 1996: Proceedings of the First Annual Conference (Complex Adaptive Systems), MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-61127-9
- Koza, J.R.; Deb, K.; Dorigo, M.; Fogel, D.; Garzon, M.; Iba, H.; & Riolo, R., (Eds.) (1997). Genetic Programming 1997: Proceedings of the Second Annual Conference, Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN 1-55860-483-9
- Koza, J.R.; & Others (Eds.)(1998). Genetic Programming 1998, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. ISBN 1-55860-548-7
- Koza, J.R.; Bennett, F.H.; Andre, D.; & Keane, M.A. (1999). Genetic Programming III: Darwinian Invention and Problem Solving, Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN 1-55860-543-6
- Koza, J.R.; Keane, M.A.; Streeter, M.J.; Mydlowec, W.; Yu, J.; & Lanza, G. (2003). Genetic Programming IV: Routine Human-Competitive Machine Intelligence, Springer. ISBN 1-4020-7446-8