Gladys Mae West (Born 1930/31 in Sutherland, Virginia) is an American mathematician who is known for her contributions to the mathematical modeling of the shape of the earth and her work on the development of satellite geodesy models that were eventually incorporated into the Global Positioning System aka, GPS.
Gladys Mae West not only overcame the oppression of discrimination and segregation, she majored in mathematics and along with other women of the times dispel the myth that women are not good in Math. Whether you’re a pilot, soldier, driver, fisherman, golfer or in any other profession that uses GPS, we have Gladys Mae West and her team to thank for developing the foundation of the Global Positioning System (GPS). [Read more…]