Electrets -- Research

In this interview organized through the Acoustical Society of America, German inventor and scientist Gerhard Sessler reflects on his life and career in acoustics. Sessler begins by recalling his childhood in Germany and his high school math teacher who inspired him to study physics. He describes the beginning of his undergraduate studies at Freiburg University before transferring to the University of Munich, where he took classes from physicists such as Arnold Sommerfeld. Sessler recalls moving to the University of Göttingen for his graduate studies, where he was introduced to the field of acoustics by Erwin Meyer. He describes his master’s thesis on sound propagation in rarefied gases. Sessler then explains the opportunity that led him to Bell Labs to work with Manfred Schroeder, where his projects included work on transducers, electrets, sound propagation in plasma, and architectural acoustics. He discusses his collaboration with Jim West on the development of electret microphones, first using Mylar films and then transitioning to Teflon. Sessler recalls his decision to return to both academia and Germany by accepting a position at Darmstadt University. There, he continued his work on electroacoustics, materials research, and room acoustics, and he discusses his work on developing silicon microphones. Toward the end of the interview, Sessler recounts his time as chairman of the first German acoustics association, DAGA, and then his role as founding member of the German Acoustics Society, DEGA. He also reflects on the honor of being elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999, as well as receiving the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering.

In this interview organized through the Acoustical Society of America, the discussion begins with West’s experiences as a member of the society before moving into his family background and youth in Virginia, education at Hampton Institute and Temple University, and military service in the Korean War. West describes his employment with Bell Labs and his work on the electret microphone, for which he and Gerhard Sessler would be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He also discusses his experiences as a Black member of the technical staff at Bell Labs, the importance of being in a research environment with people of similar backgrounds, and the creation and successes of the Association of Black Laboratory Employees (ABLE). West further describes his work in the acoustics of concert halls and hospitals and on the design of devices for taking medical measurements. The interview concludes with West highlighting his work during his presidency of ASA to expand its reach in Latin America and to attract and support people of Hispanic origin to acoustics.