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Year:1970
Who: Gladys West
Where: Dahlgren, Virginia
What: Gladys B. West is a mathematician whose groundbreaking work played a crucial role in the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS), a tool that has become an integral part of modern life. Her career, spanning several decades, began at a time when opportunities for African American women in STEM fields were limited, particularly in the segregated South. Born in 1930 on a farm in rural Virginia, West's love for mathematics began in high school, where she excelled in geometry. Despite the challenges posed by the racial and gender barriers of her time, West's academic achievements led her to a scholarship at Virginia State University, a Historically Black College.
West's professional journey took her to the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren, where, as one of the few African American women, she contributed to the field of geodesy—the study of the Earth’s shape. Her work involved refining the mathematical models used for determining global positions with remarkable accuracy. This was no easy feat, as it required understanding the Earth’s complex shape and using satellite data to calculate precise locations. West’s work laid the foundation for the GPS system, as she developed the algorithms that would make it possible to navigate the world with such accuracy.
Throughout her career, West faced the dual challenges of being a woman and a person of color in a male-dominated field. However, she remained focused on her goal: to use mathematics to solve complex problems and make a lasting impact. In 2018, her decades of contributions were recognized when she was awarded the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Award. Her story is not just one of professional achievement, but of perseverance, vision, and the belief that mathematics can chart a path to solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Sources:
Journal Articles:
Khadjavi, L., Malek-Madani, R., & Moore, T. (2021). Navigating an uncharted path: The life and legacy of Dr. Gladys B. West. Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 68(3), 357-364. https://doi.org/10.1090/noti2243
West, G. B. (1979). Smoothing of Geos 3 satellite radar altimeter data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 84(B8), 4055-4060. https://doi.org/10.1029/JB084iB08p04055
Websites:
Scientific Women. (n.d.). Gladys West. https://scientificwomen.net/women/west-gladys-194
National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). (n.d.). Gladys West profile. https://ncwit.org/profile/gladys-west/
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