James West

Johns Hopkins University Professor James E. West has over 250 patents to his name. He is best known for his work at Bell Labs and  his invention of the electret microphone. Ninety percent of microphones produced annually are his, and can be found in everyday items such as your cellphone. West was inducted into The National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999 for the invention of the electret microphone. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering; a Fellow, and past President, of the Acoustical Society of America, and a Fellow of the IEEE. West was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2006 by President George W. Bush, and is also the proud recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Engineering. In addition to his scientific contributions, West has also served as an advocate for greater diversity in STEM fields serving on the board of countless philanthropic organizations including The Ingenuity Project. Jim is currently working with a local startup, Sonavi Labs, on developing a life- changing smart digital stethoscope with machine-learning algorithms to diagnose respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.