James Edward Maceo West Biography
James Edward Maceo West 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.
West received a master’s degree 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 college of the Whiting faculty at Johns Hopkins University where he’s presently a prof in the Department of Electrical and computer Engineering. In 2007, West received an honorary doctorate from NJIT.
James Edward Maceo West Education
Undeterred, West headed to Temple University in 1953 to study physics and worked during the summers as an intern for the Acoustics research Department at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. He received a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1957 and was employed for a full-time position as an acoustical scientist by Bell.
James Edward Maceo West Age
Edward was born on February 10, 1931, in Farmville, Virginia, United States. He is 88 years old as of 2019. He celebrates his birthday on February 10th every year.
James Edward Maceo West Parents
Electrical engineer James Edward West was born on Feb 10, 1931, in Farmville, Virginia to Samuel Edward and Matilda West. At various points, his father worked as a funeral home owner, an insurance salesman, and as a porter on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
James Edward Maceo West Inventions and scientific contributions
Along with Gerhard Sessler, West invented the foil electret microphone in 1962 while developing instruments for human hearing analysis. Compared to the previous condenser microphones, the electret microphone has higher capacitance and doesn’t need a DC bias.
West and Sessler optimized the mechanical and surface parameters of the system. Nearly ninety percent of more than 2 billion microphones produced annually are based on the principles of the foil-electret and are used in everyday things like telephones, camcorders, hearing aids, baby monitors, and recording devices among others. West measured the acoustics of Philharmonic Hall in N.Y city.
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. Dr. West has over 250 patents to his name. At age 87 in 2018, he is still an active inventor working on a device to detect pneumonia in an infant’s lungs.
James Edward Maceo West Supporting minorities in the sciences
In addition to his several contributions to acoustical science, throughout his career, West has been a fervent advocate for bigger diversity in the fields of science and technology. 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 workers.”
He was additionally instrumental in the creation and development of both the company research Fellowship Program (CRFP) for graduate students pursuing terminal degrees in the sciences, as well as the Summer research Program, that together provided opportunities for over five hundred non-white graduates students.
Since 2015, Dr. West has served on the Board of directors of the Ingenuity Project, a Baltimore non-profit that supports gifted middle and highschool students in science and mathematics.
James Edward Maceo West Awards
Dr. West is the recipient of the National medal of Technology and Innovation, and in 2010, along side Gerhard M. Sessler, West was the recipient of The Franklin Institute’s Benjamin Franklin medal in electrical engineering. He’s conjointly an inductee to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering.
He is conjointly the recipient of various other honors and awards. However, West feels that his greatest accomplishments are his four kids Melanie, Laurie, James, and Ellington.
James Edward Maceo West Develops Electret Microphone
In 1960, while at Bell, West teamed up with fellow scientist Gerhard M. Sessler to develop an inexpensive, highly sensitive, compact microphone. In 1962, they finished development on the product, that relied on their invention of electret transducers. By 1968, the electret mike was in mass production. West’s and Sessler’s invention became the industry standard, and today, ninety percent of all contemporary microphones—including those found in telephones, tape recorders, camcorders, baby monitors and hearing aids—use their technology.
Years later, West was appointed president-elect of the acoustic Society of America in 1997 and joined the National Academy of Engineering in 1998. And both West and Sessler were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999. West has additionally worked with initiatives to adjure ladies and students of color to explore and pursue careers within the fields of science and technology.
James Edward Maceo West Joins Johns Hopkins University
West retired from Bell in 2001, after more than 4 decades with the company. After interviewing with several universities, he chose Johns Hopkins and became a research professor at its Whiting School of Engineering in the electrical/computer engineering department.
“I discovered that Johns Hopkins was a lot like Bell Labs, where the doors were always open and we were free to collaborate with researchers in other disciplines,” he said in a statement. “I like the fact that I won’t be locked into one small niche here.”
During his career, West has received an array of accolades and honors as well as developing more than 250 patents on microphones and related discoveries involving polymer-foil electrets. Known for being humanistic in his approach to working with others, he has also been a prolific writer, having authored and/or contributed to a number of scientific papers and books.
Frequently Asked Questions About Edward Maceo
Who is Maceo?
He is one of America’s best-known and loved inventor and acoustician.
How old is Maceo?
He is 88 years old as of 2019. He was born in1931.
How tall is Maceo?
His height information is not available.
Is Maceo married?
He has kept his marital status private.
How much is Maceo worth?
His networth is still under review.
How much does Maceo make?
Information about his earnings is not available.
Where does Maceo live?
Information about where he resides is not available.
Is Maceo dead or alive?
He is alive and healthy.
Where is Maceo now?
He is an inventor and acoustician.