I called my PhD advisor the “best man in America” because when I got to his lab, I did not know how to make a common integrated inverter. But by the time I was leaving, I was ready for the highest level. Thanks Ralph Etienne Cummings. The Ovim nation of Nigeria appreciates what you did for their son in this beautiful America at The Johns Hopkins University.
As I celebrate one of the finest professors in the world, I also want to thank gracious heaven for Prof James West, one of the five professors who sat in my PhD defense. Prof West just turned 91 years. He is the world’s finest acoustic engineer and co-inventor of the foil electret microphone which powers 90% of all microphones used today. So, without him, we may not have smartphones at scale. He sent me nice words after a small win, and in that email a line included “bold in self-confidence”.
Young people, I throw that back to all: “bold in self-confidence”. Boldness will advance Africa – and we can do great things. Happy 91 years Prof West. Legends – he is still working!
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He is known worldwide as the co-inventor of the foil electret microphone. This is a type of condenser microphone upon which 90 percent of all microphones used today are based (such as telephones, sound and music recording equipment, and hearing aids). West developed the invention with his research partner Gerhard Sessler in 1962 while both were scientists at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hills, NJ.
West holds more than 60 U.S. patents and more than 200 foreign patents using polymer foil electrets in transducers during his 40-year career with Bell Laboratories, where he had worked as an acoustical scientist. He has also authored or contributed to more than 150 technical papers and several books on acoustics, solid-state physics, and materials science.
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His research at Johns Hopkins includes efforts to improve teleconferencing technology by transmitting stereophonic sound over the Internet and new transducers. In addition, James has long been known for being a mentor to students, and for being active in initiating and participating in programs aimed at encouraging more minorities and women to enter the fields of science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM).
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