![]() ![]() The Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee shared an image of West, writing, “Today we salute Dr. You might have seen mentions of West popping up on your social media feeds recently - it’s because she’s being celebrated for her invaluable contributions during Black History Month. “From the mid-1970s through the 1980s, using complex algorithms to account for variations in gravitational, tidal, and other forces that distort Earth’s shape, she programmed an IBM 7030 ‘Stretch’ computer to deliver increasingly refined calculations for an extremely accurate geodetic Earth model, a geoid, optimized for what ultimately became the Global Positioning System (GPS) orbit,” according to an Air Force press release from her induction into the Space and Missiles Pioneers Hall of Fame. ![]() She also served as the project manager for Seasat, which was the first satellite to carry out remote sensing of Earth’s oceans. In West’s work as a computer programmer, she specialized in large-scale computer systems and data-processing systems for the analysis of information obtained from satellites. At the time, the Navy was bringing in computers, and West programmed the massive machines - much like Dorothy Vaughan, who was played by Octavia Spencer in the movie “Hidden Figures,” did for NASA. West, who was born in 1930, worked as a mathematician, collecting and analyzing satellite data of the Earth’s surface, until she eventually created a detailed model and helped developed the technology that resulted in GPS, the global navigational satellite system that can accurately determine your position anywhere on Earth.Īfter graduating from Virginia State College, a historically Black college, with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, West became the second Black woman ever hired - in 1956 - at the Naval Proving Ground in Virginia, where she worked as a mathematician. But Gladys West is just as important - only her name isn’t familiar to most people. We do it without even thinking about how the technology behind GPS was developed, or by whom.Īlbert Einstein is, of course, a household name, and GPS wouldn’t exist without him and his crucial theories of special and general relativity. Illustrations & original design © Irene Renon.Most of us use global positioning system (GPS) technology in one way or another on a regular basis - to add a location to social media posts, or to ask the navigation system in our car to direct us to where we need to be. Copyright and full reproduction rights of these images remain the property of the artist Irene Renon. For any question feel free to contact us!Īll files are for personal use only and cannot be used commercially or be resold/redistributed. On the Purchases page you will find all your files.ĭownload through web browser (not Etsy app).Ĭan't find what you are looking for? Send us a message, we will create your personalized and custom product. Click on 'Your Account' - Top right of the browser page. Navy, where she made significant contributions to the development of GPS technology. Born in 1930 in Virginia, she graduated with a degree in mathematics and went on to work as a programmer for the U.S. ![]() Gladys West is an American mathematician known for her work on the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). Downloadable products are not refundable. You will receive a High Quality PDF file. Coloring Pages Size: A4 (21 x 29,7 cm - international size). ✔️ This listing is for ONE Printable Coloring Sheet. This is a Digital Download so no physical item will be shipped. ➡️ All the files will be available after you bought this listing. Celebrate Black Women in History and Women in Science with this Printable Coloring Sheet! This coloring page features Gladys West, an inspiring figure in Women in STEM and Women in Mathematics. ![]()
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