What is James Edward Maceo West?
{{Infobox scientist |name = James E. West |image = James West.JPG |image_size = |caption = |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1931|2|10|df=yes}} |birth_place = [[Farmville, Virginia|Farmville]], [[Prince Edward County, Virginia]] |death_date = |death_place = |citizenship = [[United States|American]] |nationality = |fields = [[physics]] |workplaces = [[Bell Labs]]<br>[[Johns Hopkins University]] |awards = [[ASA Gold Medal]] {{small|(2006)}}, [[National Medal of Technology and Innovation]] }} '''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. ==Early life== 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== 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== {{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | title = James West | website = | publisher = Biography.com | date = 2015 | url =http://www.biography.com/people/james-west-538802 | format = | doi = | accessdate = May 10, 2015 | archiveurl = | archivedate = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:West, James}} [[Category:1931 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American inventors]] [[Category:African-American people]]