Joseph Slepian

Born in Boston, MA of Jewish Russian immigrants, he studied mathematics at Harvard University, from which he was awarded a B.Sc.(1912) and Ph.D. on the thesis On the Functions of a Complex Variable Defined by an Ordinary Differential Equation of the First Order and First Degree advised by George Birkhoff (1913).He joined Westinghouse Electric in East Pittsburgh (1916) in the railway motor department initially, moving to the research department (1917) at Forest Hills (PA) where he became head (1922), consulting engineer (1926) and associate director (1938–1956) and developed over two hundred patents.He received the IEEE Edison Medal (1947) for his work on the autovalve lightning arrester, deion circuit breaker, and ignitron.He wrote over 120 articles and essays, and published the book Conductivity of electricity in gases (1933).
Boston, MAHarvard UniversityIEEE Edison MedalCornell Universityelectrical engineerJewish Russian immigrantsGeorge BirkhoffBoston Elevated RailwayUniversity of GöttingenGermanyUniversity of SorbonneWestinghouse ElectricEast PittsburghForest Hills (PA)betatronlightning arrestercircuit breakerignitronessaysstrokeDavid SlepianJohn Scott MedalAIEE Lamme MedalNational Academy of SciencesInstitute of Radio EngineersCase Institute of TechnologyUniversity of LeedsWilliam D. CoolidgeFrank B. JewettCharles F. ScottFrank ConradEdwin W. RiceBancroft GherardiArthur Edwin KennellyWillis R. WhitneyLewis B. StillwellAlex DowGano DunnDugald C. JacksonPhilip TorchioGeorge Ashley CampbellJohn B. WhiteheadEdwin H. ArmstrongVannevar BushErnst AlexandersonPhilip SpornLee de ForestMorris E. LeedsKarl B. McEachronOtto B. Blackwell