Who is Gladys West?
Gladys West is a Black American mathematician. She is well known for her contributions to the mathematical modelling of the shape of the Earth. Also, she worked on developing satellite geodesy models that helped the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Early life:
She was born in 1930 in Virginia and always wanted to escape rural life. She noticed that education was the only way to help her. She earned top grades and won a full scholarship to Virginia State College. In 1956, she graduated with a master’s in mathematics and got into the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center. At that time, she was the second Black woman ever to be hired at the facility.
Career:
When the very first computers arrived, she quickly learned how to program to analyze satellite data. After showcasing her skills working on award-winning studies about Pluto’s motion relative to Neptune, she became project manager for the Seasat Radar Altimetry Project, the first satellite designed to remote sensing the Earth’s ocean.
Next, she created a detailed mathematical model of the shape of the Earth. This encountered gravitational and tidal forces that changed the Earth’s shape.
After she retired, her journey wasn’t finished yet. She went back to school to earn her Ph.D. at 70. However, only in 2017, after the release of the film “Hidden Figures,” she started to receive recognition for her role in revolutionizing navigation as a Black scientist. West was inducted into the United States Air Force Hall of Fame in 2018. In addition, she was awarded the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th Annual Webby Awards for her contribution in developing satellite geodesy models.
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