Jewell James Ebers was an American electrical engineer who is remembered for the mathematical model

Mathematical model

A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used not only in the natural sciences and engineering disciplines A mathematical model is a...

 of the bipolar junction transistor

Bipolar junction transistor

|- align = "center"| || PNP|- align = "center"| || NPNA bipolar transistor is a three-terminal electronic device constructed of doped semiconductor material and may be used in amplifying or switching applications. Bipolar transistors are so named because their operation involves both electrons...

 that he published with John L. Moll

John L. Moll

John Louis Moll was an American electrical engineer, notable for his contributions to solid-state physics....

 in 1954. The Ebers-Moll model of the transistor views the transistor as a pair of diode

Diode

In electronics, a diode is a type of two-terminal electronic component with a nonlinear current–voltage characteristic. A semiconductor diode, the most common type today, is a crystalline piece of semiconductor material connected to two electrical terminals...

s, and the model is a fusion of the models of these diodes.

J.J. Ebers was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

 on November 25, 1921. He served three years in the U.S. Army. Ebers attended Antioch College

Antioch College

Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...

 where he obtained a bachelor of science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree in 1946. He entered Ohio State University

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

 studying electrical engineering

Electrical engineering

Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...

, obtaining his master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 in 1947 and Ph.D. in 1950. Ebers continued at Ohio State as a research associate in the university's research foundation, as an instructor, and as an assistant professor until 1951.

In September 1951 Ebers joined Bell Labs

Bell Labs

Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...

 in Murray Hill, New Jersey. There he worked with J.L. Moll with whom he published the frequently-cited article on "Large-signal behavior of junction transistors" which is the basis of the Ebers-Moll model. According to James Early (1971), Ebers' technical contributions, qualities of personal leadership, and management skill led to promotions to supervisor, department head, and Director of the Allentown Lab of Bell.

Ebers was a member of Eta Kappa Nu

Eta Kappa Nu

Eta Kappa Nu is the electrical and computer engineering honor society of the IEEE, founded in October 1904 by Maurice L. Carr at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The organization currently has around 200 student chapters and about 3,000,000 members and is headquartered in Chicago,...

, Sigma Xi

Sigma Xi

Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...

, and the American Physical Society

American Physical Society

The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...

.
Jewell James Ebers died in March, 1959.

As a memorial to his scientific work, every year the IEEE Electron Devices Society

IEEE Electron Devices Society

The ' is a professional society of the IEEE.- History :The IEEE Electron Devices Society was initially formed as the IRE Electron Tubes and Solid-State Devices Committee in 1951, and quickly became a professional group in March of 1952 called the IRE Professional Group on Electron Devices...

 grants the J J Ebers Award

J J Ebers Award

The J J Ebers Award was established in 1971 with the intention to foster progress in electron devices and to commemorate the life activities of Jewell James Ebers, whose distinguished contributions, particularly in the transistor art, shaped the understanding and technology of electron devices...

to a worthy engineer.