Location

Celebrate African American History Month with a free lunchtime lecture by James E. West, a National Academy of Engineering member known for his co-invention of the electret microphone which is used in nearly 90 percent of telephones today.

A National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee, Dr. West will describe his work, as well as the work of other African American inductees. He will also discuss his involvement in a number of programs aimed at improving diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. West believes that by increasing American youths' interest and ability in STEM, we will give them the tools they need to become valuable contributors to our society in the future. He will discuss how we can all make a difference, as individuals and collectively, in tackling the critical issues of improving access to and enriching STEM education in America. 

Dr. West is a research professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He was formerly a Bell Laboratories fellow at Lucent Technologies. His pioneering research on charge storage and transport polymers led to the development of electret transducers for sound recording and voice communication. Dr. West was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999. He holds more than 50 U.S. and 200 foreign patents on various microphones and techniques for making polymer electrets and transducers. A National Academy of Engineering member, Dr. West served on its Committee on Diversity in the Engineering Workforce. He is on the Board of Directors of The National Inventors Hall of Fame and he is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of The International Symposium on Electrets.

Photo IDs and reservations are required. Reserve space online. 

This program is part of the African American History Program, supported by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine.