Dr. Gladys West was an African American mathematician known for contributing to the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS) which has made an important impact on society today. Many argue that an invention like this could not have been created by an African American woman, but the creation of the GPS has saved lives today and desired to make a change in the world.
Growing up in her hometown in Dinwiddie County, Virginia on south of Richmond, she realized that she needed an education and pursued her degree in mathematics at Virginia State College in 1952 and enjoyed technology. She wished not to have a future on farms or factories like her parents did, picking cotton, tobacco, corn, etc. because she wanted a change and desired to influence the world around her, which was her contribution to technology (Kennedy, 2019).
In addition, Dr. Gladys worked and programmed for large scale computers at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia completed her most important work, analyzing data from satellites, compiling altimeter models of the Earth's shape. From the mid-1970s through the 1980s, she programmed a computer to come up with a super-accurate model of the Earth, accounting for variations in the planet’s shape caused by gravitational, tidal, and other forces (Sanchez, 2018). She perfected the data collection for years, which eventually became the basis for GPS (ETHW, 2020).
Under representation shaped the experiences in technology, by proving that women can make an impact and change the world just like men. The invention of the GPS is essential and installed into cars, cell phones, and watches.
The underrepresentation of women and people of color in technology is the reason for racial bias in computing and technology and could be prevented by hiring more people of color and different backgrounds.
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