James Edward Maceo West

American inventor and acoustician

James Edward Maceo West is an African-American inventor and professor who developed a microphone component that is used in ninety percent of the microphones used today.

James E. West
Born (1931-02-10) 10 February 1931 (age 93)
CitizenshipAmerican
AwardsASA Gold Medal (2006), National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Scientific career
Fieldsphysics
InstitutionsBell Labs
Johns Hopkins University

Early life

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West was born on February 10, 1931. From an early age, West liked to take things apart. After an accident with a radio he had tinkered with, he became very interested in the concept of electricity. West attended Temple University.

Public life

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In 1960, West teamed up with a fellow scientist Gerard M. Sessler. They developed an inexpensive, compact microphone. It relied on their invention of electric transducers and became the industry standard.

West was appointed president-elect of the Acoustical Society of America in 1997. He joined the National Academy of Engineering in 1998. West retired in 2001

References

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"James West". Biography.com. 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015.