Dr. Gladys West Put You on the Map

You would be totally lost without Dr. Gladys West. While you are staring at your phone for

directions, remember that a Black woman from rural Virginia did the heavy lifting

to make that happen. Gladys started out doing complex math by hand as one of the few women at

a naval warfare center. She eventually programmed supercomputers to model the Earth’s

irregular shape, factoring in gravity and tides. That specific data is what allows satellites

to pinpoint your location. She is the hidden figure who literally put you on the map.