A Conversation With … Gladys West PhD, the “Hidden Figure” Whose Work Made GPS Possible

Fig. 1: Gladys West PhDFig. 2: Gladys West PhD at the Naval Proving Ground (now the Naval Surface Warfare Center) in Dahlgren, VA, USA in 1979. © Gladys WestNext time you’re not lost because you’re following the blue line on your cellphone’s map in an unfamiliar city, you could offer a quick, silent “thank you” to this month’s guest here. Actually, next time the American Airlines 737 plane lands where your ticket says it’s going to land, you might also thank her. Gladys West PhD (Fig. 1) is one of what I’d call a “hidden 'Hidden Figure'” If you didn’t see the movie, Hidden Figures, it’s a biopic based on a book of the same name [5] about three Black women mathematicians whose work in a racially segregated unit at NASA as so-called “human computers” resulted in solutions to some of the thorniest problems standing between the United States and space during the Cold War. In fact, there were many more than three hidden figures. The stories of NASA’s original “computers” (again, here the term refers to a job description rather than a machine)—along with the stories of hundreds of women who served in that role for the military during WWII—deserve to be shared more widely. Young women were chosen preferentially for these roles because many young men were deployed in Europe and Japan, and women were less expensive to hire than the men who were available [7]. In the course of researching this story, I learned that the mother of one CORR’s senior editors, Clare Rimnac PhD (who is an engineer herself, and a past-president of the Orthoapedic Research Society), spent a summer as a “computer” for the Army, “running calculations of projectile trajectories.” The calculations made by these “computers”—sometimes measured in “kilogirls” (1000 hours of calculation by a woman computer) and “girl-years” (you do the math)—also made possible the wind-tunnel tests on wing shape that supported the design of advanced airfoils that ushered in the jet age [6], as well as the pioneering mathematics behind the Global Positioning System (GPS) functions we use every day on our phones (as well as on the instrument panel of that 737) [3]. Space limitations here preclude telling all their stories, so I will share just a piece of one. This month’s guest, Dr. West, graduated as a scholarship student from a historically Black university with an undergraduate degree in math and began teaching—one of a few career paths then available in her circumstances—to save money for graduate school [3]. In 1956, and with a Master’s degree in mathematics in hand, she went to work for the Navy (Fig. 2). Over her four-decade career, her pioneering work in satellite geodesy (I had to look that one up—it means making measurements of the Earth’s form and dimensions using satellites) enabled the development of GPS navigation. She later managed the radar altimetry data processing project of Seasat, the first satellite designed for remote sensing of the Earth’s oceans [4]. Perhaps you had not heard of Dr. West or her work. I am embarrassed to say that I hadn’t either, until recently. She is one of the many hidden figures behind Hidden Figures, and only lately, at the age of 94, is she getting the recognition she’s long deserved: She has been inducted into the US Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame, she has received the UK’s Prince Philip Medal (the highest individual honor awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering), and she is the 2024 recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ President’s Award [1]. None of that necessarily makes her an obvious candidate for an interview in an orthopaedic surgery journal, but skill at approaching complex or even seemingly intractable technical problems does. As does the need to stay tough when life and career—to say nothing of organizational hierarchies, if not frank prejudice—are working against a person. She might have strategies for staying focused when we believe our efforts deserve more recognition than they are getting. Dr. West also has wisdom on dealing with imposter syndrome. And as someone who got her PhD after “retirement” (and very soon after having a stroke [3]), she also might have a word or two for us on career transitions. Read on for a don’t-miss interview with Gladys West PhD, the “Hidden Figure” whose work made GPS possible. Seth S. Leopold MD:As someone who needed a tutor for premed calculus, it is difficult for me to begin to imagine, much less try to understand, the pioneering mathematics that you did. It’s fair to say that the math you did changed the world. On the way, the challenges you faced—both technical (the math itself) and structural (the kinds of bias you faced)—were immense. What gave you the confidence that you could do the work you were given, and do it so effectively? Gladys West PhD: When I first started, I knew that I was entering a new world. I knew that I would have to take all of the courses offered to learn the material. Thanks to this education and the repetition of daily tasks, I became more confident in my ability to do the job. Being able to carry on conversations with the scientists I worked with further increased my confidence, as did pursuing an additional Master’s degree. Dr. Leopold:No doubt preparation and skill-building help to create and sustain confidence. For our young readers, those just starting out in career, can you reach a bit further back—maybe to the decision to take on that hard job in the first place? Knowing that it was a “new world” to you, what made you feel like you could do it? Was it just an innate self-confidence? The encouragement of a mentor? An inspiring role model? Give us a glimpse of that moment (or those moments) where you were perched on the edge of a decision, if you can… Dr. West: During college, I lived with two professors who taught at Virginia State College (now University) who mentored me and encouraged me to learn new things. I watched Dr. Louise Hunter work on her PhD, and traveled to the University of Virginia with her as she took courses and worked on her dissertation. She and her husband were an inspiration to me, and they were the ones who encouraged me to pursue the (Naval Support Facility) Dahlgren job. I turned down the initial interview because of the distance and the possibility that I would not be selected. Once the job was offered sight unseen, I accepted immediately. The biggest challenge for me was getting the job. Dr. Leopold:Many young surgeons report having imposter syndrome. Some interesting new research found that feelings of imposter syndrome were stronger in surgeons who were more uneasy with uncertainty and who had less confidence in their problem-solving abilities [2]. This may point the way to coaching opportunities as a solution. I read that you experienced imposter syndrome early on [1]. How did you get past it? Dr. West: When I first saw the big computers, it was a bit overwhelming, yet very exciting. I stayed focused on my goal of continual learning, which helped me overcome any feelings of inadequacy. I put in extra hours and studied hard to ensure that I would complete the programming tasks on those big computers successfully. I did not feel like I didn’t belong; I just knew that I had to do the work to show that I belonged. Dr. Leopold:Most careers include setbacks or failures, and the everyday career of a surgeon inevitably involves our failures causing harm—sometimes serious or even fatal harm—to the very people we were trying to help. And after a failure, whether a serious complication or a career setback, surgeons have to get back to work, sometimes the same day. Did you ever face an important problem that didn’t yield, and if so, what lessons can you share about how you recovered that might help us to deal with our failures? Dr. West: I remember a difficult task of finding the exact data to solve a problem. I knew that we would be at a standstill if we could not find the error. The situation caused a certain amount of stress, and it did keep me up at night. But I stayed focused on keeping the project moving along, and I stayed motivated by my desire to produce good work. I wasn’t trying to find the error for my own personal gain; I wanted the entire project to be successful. So it was very rewarding when I eventually found the error. Dr. Leopold:Many people believe they deserve more credit than they’re getting. Your work actually did deserve greater recognition than it received, at least until relatively recently when at last more people have come to learn of your enormous contributions. Surely you knew at the time that you were doing important work but it was going unrecognized, and it had to be hard to bear the obvious racism and sexism behind this lack of recognition. What enabled you to stay positive and on mission for so long despite that injustice? Dr. West: I knew that what we were doing was important, but at the time, my focus was on getting the job done and doing my absolute best so I could show them that I belonged there. Since our work was for the military, I never thought about the civilian application of our work and the impact I had on it while I was doing my job. The issues that caused more distress were caused by lost opportunities to work on various projects due to being a Black woman. Dr. Leopold:Many people have given up because of those impediments. Can you say a bit about what that felt like, and what helped you persevere? Dr. West: One thing that helped during those times was unity among the seven Black professionals who were hired around the same time. We met for dinner once a week to discuss the issues that existed and leaned on each other to persevere. It really helped to discuss things among people who understood. I also talked to my husband quite extensively. Our attitude has always been to remain positive and not let the troubles define us. I kept studying and growing educationally so that I would remain valuable to the team. Dr. Leopold:I have to say that I giggled a little at the idea of a “retirement” that included getting a PhD. I’m hoping for a retirement that involves more time for hobbies and family, not more time for work or a second career! But maybe I’m thinking about this wrong. What advice do you have for professionals who are winding down and looking for satisfaction in the “next phase” of life? Dr. West: Number one: have a plan. It was my goal to finish my PhD. I completed the coursework before I retired so I could focus on the dissertation during retirement. Number two; keep active. I still participate in virtual classes twice a week through the YMCA. Until recently, I was also active in my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Gideons International. Dr. Leopold:One of life’s satisfactions must be to look back on your impact. Your contributions affect the lives of billions of people every day—an entire generation of adults cannot get from here to there without a GPS, and you helped make that possible. Most of us will never have an impact even a fraction that large. What does that feel like? Dr. West: It is actually overwhelming. Some days I don’t think much about those contributions, while other days, I am so pleased that my work has had such an impact. When I travel with my daughter and son-in-law, I get excited when they use GPS to locate a restaurant. But much more heartwarming is the opportunity to share my story with young people and watch them listen intently. If my work and recognition encourages more people to pursue STEM careers, I feel satisfied and grateful for my journey.