Baseball players aren't the only ones inducted into the hall of fame: Engineers are too.
James West, the inventor of the electret microphone used in 90 percent of communication devices today, was the inaugural speaker for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Rachleff lecture series yesterday afternoon.
West, a research professor at Johns Hopkins University, spoke to his audience about the challenges of noise control in hospitals.
West started researching the problem three years ago.
Noise, West said, impacts the efficiency and safety of a hospital. Routine noises such as the PA system can slow down a patient's recovery and lead to errors in communication that impact important tasks like drug dispension.
"I hope to make everyone aware of this problem so that people can begin to think of solutions," he said.
At Johns Hopkins, West works with students and faculty members on ways to reduce noise in hospitals as well as to make teleconferencing more realistic on multiple channels.
West is also an active participant in multiple programs aimed at encouraging minorities and women to enter the fields of engineering and science.
As a member of the Board of Directors for the National Inventors Hall of Fame, West is currently working on launching an ad campaign targeted towards children ages 6 to 12 demonstrating that science lies behind many of the things they hope to do as adults.
Hopefully, this will stimulate interest in the sciences at a young age and lead them into those fields in the future, West said.
The Rachleff lecture series was established to inspire engineering students to pursue innovation and invention. The lectures are organized by Engineering dean Eduardo Glandtand his staff, while the keynote speaker is chosen by a group of Engineering faculty.
Glandt said the purpose of these lectures are to "teach the heuristics of how to be creative by exposing yourself to innovators."
When it came time to pick an inaugural speaker, West was an obvious choice.
"Jim personifies the qualities we want to most inspire in our students," said Electrical Engineering professor Daniel Lee .
Students had an opportunity to meet West earlier in the day during a lunch as well as after the lecture during a reception.
"Meeting someone with so much experience in electrical engineering was a gratifying experience," Engineering junior Aaron Jungstein said.
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