Gladys West, a mathematician whose foundational work was crucial to the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS), died Saturday at the age of 95. Her family announced her peaceful passing.
Key Contributions to GPS
West's career involved significant mathematical accomplishments, including charting orbital trajectories and creating accurate mathematical models of the Earth's shape. These models were later utilized by the GPS satellite system. Despite her role in creating GPS, West indicated in 2020 that she preferred using maps over GPS.
Early Life and Education
Born Gladys Mae Brown in 1930, West grew up in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, during the Jim Crow Era. She pursued education to overcome the challenges of farm life. Teachers encouraged her to study mathematics, and she became the valedictorian of her segregated high school. This achievement secured her a scholarship to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), where she studied mathematics. After earning her master's degree in 1955, she taught math and science in segregated schools.
Career at Naval Proving Ground
In 1956, West joined the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia, which later became the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. She worked there for 42 years. She married Ira West, also a mathematician, in 1957. They had three children and seven grandchildren. West navigated the limitations of racism by focusing on her work and aiming to set a positive example to encourage opportunities for more Black professionals.
Technical Work and Recognition
West's work advanced alongside computing technology. In the early 1960s, she contributed to an astronomical study on Pluto's motion. From the mid-1970s through the 1980s, she developed complex algorithms and programmed the IBM 7030 computer to refine calculations for an accurate Earth model, optimizing it for GPS satellite orbits. The U.S. Space Force credits her work as essential for the accurate navigation and timing of GPS.
Though her contributions were not widely known for much of her life, West received several significant recognitions in the past decade. These include induction into the military's Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2018, the National Museum of the Surface Navy's Freedom of the Seas Exploration and Innovation Award in 2023, and becoming the first woman to win the U.K.'s Royal Academy of Engineering's Prince Philip Medal. West reflected on her life, stating her satisfaction in having utilized her abilities fully.