James Edward Maceo West
| James E. West | |
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| Born | 10 April 1931 Prince Edward County, Virginia |
| Residence | USA |
| Citizenship | American |
| Fields | physics |
| Institutions | Bell Labs Johns Hopkins University |
James Edward Maceo West (born April 17, 1971 in Prince Edward County, Virginia) is an American inventor and acoustician. Along with Gerhard Sessler, West developed the foil electret microphone in 1962. Nearly 90 percent of the more than two billion microphones produced annually are based on the principles of the foil-electret and are used in everyday items such as telephones, camcorders, and audio recording devices among others.[1] West received a BS in Physics from Temple University in 1957. He holds over 250 foreign and U.S. patents for the production and design of microphones and techniques for creating polymer foil electrets.
In 2001, West retired from Lucent Technologies after a distinguished 40-year career at Bell Laboratories where he received the organization's highest honor, being named a Bell Laboratories Fellow. West then joined the faculty of the Whiting School at Johns Hopkins University where he is currently a research professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
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[edit] Commitment to Diversity
In addition to his many contributions to acoustical science, throughout his career West has been a fervent advocate for greater diversity in the fields of science and technology.[2] While at Bell Laboratories, West co-founded the Association of Black Laboratory Employees (ABLE), an organization formed to "address placement and promotional concerns of Black Bell Laboratories employees." [3] He was also instrumental in the creation and development of both the Corporate Research Fellowship Program (CRFP) for graduate students pursuing terminal degrees in the sciences, as well as the Summer Research Program for undergraduate students. Through the graduate fellowship that he helped to establish, more than 500 PhD's have been awarded to women and minorities in the scientific disciplines.[4] West routinely gives lectures and presentations about the need for diversity and broadened opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of science and technology.
[edit] Awards
In 1998, West was presented with the IRI Achievement Award by the Industrial Research Institute.[5] In 2006, he was awarded the prestigious U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation,[6] and in 2010, along with Gerhard M. Sessler, West was the recipient of The Franklin Institute's Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering. He is also an inductee to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.[7] He is also the recipient of numerous other honors and awards. However, West feels that his greatest accomplishments are his four children Melanie, Laurie, James and Ellington.
[edit] References
- ^ http://gazette.jhu.edu/2010/05/10/james-b-west-of-wse-receives-benjamin-franklin-medal/
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-moss/americas-diversity-can-pr_b_469787.html
- ^ http://www.ableinc.org/include/main.php?PageID=9
- ^ [1]
- ^ "James E. West Receives IRI's 1998 Achievement Award", Newswise, Oct. 27, 1998, accessed Feb. 8, 2012.
- ^ http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/hKcXRYU4ycx/Bush+Presents+National+Medals+Science+Technology/0s137GaHBjC/James+Edward+West
- ^ http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/150.html
