Biography:James Edward Maceo West

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For other people named James E. West, see James E. West (disambiguation).
James Edward Maceo West
James West.JPG
Born (1931-02-10) February 10, 1931 (age 93)
Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States
CitizenshipAmerican
AwardsASA Gold Medal (2006), National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics, electrical engineering
InstitutionsBell Labs
Johns Hopkins University

James Edward Maceo West (born February 10, 1931 in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia) is an African American inventor and acoustician. He holds over 250 foreign and U.S. patents for the production and design of microphones and techniques for creating polymer foil electrets.

Biography

First patent on foil electret microphone by G. M. Sessler and J. E. West (pages 1 to 3)

West received a BS in Physics from Temple University in 1957. 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 Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2007, West received an honorary doctorate from NJIT.[1]

Inventions and scientific contributions

Along with Gerhard Sessler, West invented the foil electret microphone in 1962 while developing instruments for human hearing research.[2] Compared to the previous condenser microphones, the electret microphone have higher capacitance and do not require a DC bias.[3] West and Sessler optimized the mechanical and surface parameters of the system.[4] Nearly 90 percent of 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, hearing aids, baby monitors, and audio recording devices among others.[5] West measured the acoustics of Philharmonic Hall in New York City.[6] Recently, West teamed with Ilene Busch-Vishniac and studied the acoustic environment of hospitals showing that hospitals are in general too loud and that the noise levels affect staff and patients.[7] Dr. West has over 250 patents to his name.[8] At age 87 in 2018, he is still an active inventor working on a device to detect pneumonia in infant lungs.[9]

Supporting minorities in the sciences

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.[10] 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." [11] 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, which together provided opportunities for over 500 non-white graduate students.[12] Since 2015, Dr. West has served on the Board of Directors of the Ingenuity Project, a Baltimore non-profit that supports talented middle and high school students in science and math.

Awards

Dr. West is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation,[13] 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[14] and an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering.[15] 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.[citation needed]

References

  1. ↑ "A Special Dual Presentation | Technology and Society Forum". http://tsf.njit.edu/2007/spring/west.php. 
  2. ↑ "James Edward West". Cpnas.org. 2014. http://www.cpnas.org/aahp/biographies/james-edward-west.html. Retrieved 2014-07-12. 
  3. ↑ Sessler, G. M.; West, J. E. (1966-12-01). "Foil‐Electret Microphones". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 40 (6): 1433–1440. doi:10.1121/1.1910245. ISSN 0001-4966. http://scitation.aip.org/content/asa/journal/jasa/40/6/10.1121/1.1910245. 
  4. ↑ Sessler, G. M.; West, J. E. (1965-06-01). "Electrostatic Microphones with Foil Electret". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 37 (6): 1209–1210. doi:10.1121/1.1939579. ISSN 0001-4966. http://scitation.aip.org/content/asa/journal/jasa/37/6/10.1121/1.1939579. 
  5. ↑ "James B. West of WSE receives Benjamin Franklin Medal : Johns Hopkins University – The Gazette". Gazette.jhu.edu. 2010-05-10. http://gazette.jhu.edu/2010/05/10/james-b-west-of-wse-receives-benjamin-franklin-medal/. Retrieved 2012-03-09. 
  6. ↑ Schroeder, M. R.; Atal, B. S.; Sessler, G. M.; West, J. E. (1966-08-01). "Acoustical Measurements in Philharmonic Hall (New York)". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 40 (2): 434–440. doi:10.1121/1.1910092. ISSN 0001-4966. http://scitation.aip.org/content/asa/journal/jasa/40/2/10.1121/1.1910092. 
  7. ↑ Busch-Vishniac, Ilene J.; West, James E.; Barnhill, Colin; Hunter, Tyrone; Orellana, Douglas; Chivukula, Ram (2005-12-01). "Noise levels in Johns Hopkins Hospital". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 118 (6): 3629–3645. doi:10.1121/1.2118327. ISSN 0001-4966. http://scitation.aip.org/content/asa/journal/jasa/118/6/10.1121/1.2118327. 
  8. ↑ Britto, Brittany (2018-05-24). "At 87, this Baltimore inventor has 250 patents to his name — and he’s still at it". The Baltimore Sun. http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider-blog/bs-fe-inventor-james-west-20180418-story.html. Retrieved 30 May 2018. 
  9. ↑ Perna, Algerina. "Inventor James E. West has more than 250 patents to his name including a device that detects a diseased lung.". http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider-blog/96952953-132.html. Retrieved 30 May 2018. 
  10. ↑ "Ian Moss: America's Diversity Can Provide Prosperity". Huffingtonpost.com. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-moss/americas-diversity-can-pr_b_469787.html. Retrieved 2012-03-09. 
  11. ↑ "ABLE History -Leaders of African Descent". Ableinc.org. http://www.ableinc.org/include/main.php?PageID=9. Retrieved 2012-03-09. 
  12. ↑ "James Edward West: Electret Microphone Inventor". www.black-inventor.com. 2008. http://www.black-inventor.com/James-E-West.asp. Retrieved 2014-07-12. 
  13. ↑ "James Edward West Pictures - Bush Presents National Medals Of Science And Techno". 2007-07-27. http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/hKcXRYU4ycx/Bush+Presents+National+Medals+Science+Technology/0s137GaHBjC/James+Edward+West. Retrieved 2012-03-09. 
  14. ↑ "Invent Now | Hall of Fame | Search | Inventor Profile". Invent.org. 1931-02-10. Archived from the original on 2012-02-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20120215021322/http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/150.html. Retrieved 2012-03-09. 
  15. ↑ "National Academy of Engineering Members Directory". Nae.edu. 2014. https://www.nae.edu/MembersSection/Directory20412/30384.aspx. Retrieved 2014-07-12. 

External links






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