Celebrating International Day of Women, Girls in Science, and Black History Month!
Today, February 11, 2021, is theInternational Day of Women and Girls in Science。The day is meant to honor and celebrate the contributions to the sciences made by women and girls globally, and take a stance of commitment to continually expand the sciences to be more accessible and inclusive to women and girls. The 2021 theme is focusing on COVID-19. A technology that is essential to accurately tracking data associated with COVID-19 is the Global Positioning System (GPS).
We wanted to share in this international celebration by highlighting the work and career accomplishments of American mathematician and local Virginian, Dr. Gladys B. West, especially in her work with laying the groundwork for modern electronic GPS. Dr. West and her team shaped the mathematics and technology behind GPS technology.
Additionally, we are celebratingBlack History Month本月在水手博物馆和公园亚博平台网址。Dr. West shattered glass ceilings and broke barriers for women of color in mathematics and other STEM fields because of her persistence, abilities, and hard work. She is a phenomenal woman!
Dr. Gladys B. West
格拉迪斯·韦斯特（Gladys B. West）博士是弗吉尼亚州人，出生于丁威迪县的里士满南部。她从一间室的教堂里走到了理学学士学位，艺术硕士学位，科学硕士学位以及博士学位。作为一名数学家，韦斯特博士在弗吉尼亚州达尔格伦的海军试验场（今天是海军地面战中心）工作。1958年，1998年退休。
Dr. West has had an incredibly accomplished career in mathematics over her42 years服务！韦斯特博士开始与海军的职业生涯开始，重点关注天文学研究，以了解冥王星和海王星在1960年代如何相互关系。从这项研究中，她开始分析来自卫星的数据，以创建更好的地球数学模型。作为Seasat Radar Altimetry项目的一部分，West Dr.开发了卫星可以在海洋中进行遥感的系统。
在1970年代和1980年代，她对早期计算机进行了编程，以更好地使用来自卫星的数据来更好地对地球的实际形状进行建模。韦斯特博士与海军一起工作，直到1990年代后期，在她的多年工作中，她的贡献laid the foundations for modern GPS，，，，allowing for increasingly accurate models of the earth’s surface to be developed (called a geoid), a necessity for having our GPS work today!
We are only beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to her contributions and her story. Check out her new memoirIt Began with a Dream了解更多有关她惊人的职业和生活的信息。（有关韦斯特博士的生活和职业成就的更多文章和资源，请参见这篇文章的结尾。）
Why is Dr. West’s work significant to GPS?
The term Global Positioning System (GPS) is quite common to most people today, and it’s become vital to the modern world. We use this important constellation of satellites in our daily lives for traveling, creating maps, tracking locations, telling time. We have Dr. West to thank for this amazing technology! Thank you!
特别是在这个时候,一个全球大流行,GPStechnology has been invaluable when it comes to tracking and mapping data related to COVID-19. Let’s take a step back and explore how modern electronic GPS works and how Dr. West and her team made GPS possible for us today.
美国目前由美国运营的全球定位系统技术U.S. Air Force，至少使用四颗卫星。无线电信号通过旋转卫星不断传输到地球。最接近的卫星通过trilaterationwhich is a process that uses time to measuredistance(distance = rate x time). As the satellites communicate with each other and the devices on earth, the satellites need a detailed model of earth that contains the surface elevation (so the system can work more effectively).
When creating a mathematical model of earth,大地学家，，，，the people who measure and monitor the shape of earth,经常将地球视为“坎bump的土豆” - 不均匀且不规律。West博士及其团队在1970年代末和1980年代初开发了一种详细的地球数学模型，称为Ageoid，，，，which “defines zero elevation” and accounts for the surface of earth being irregular (along with the factors of gravity). The more accurate the mathematical model of earth is, the more accurate GPS is!
Dr. West in her career carried on the traditions of many scientists and explorers before her. These explorers went to great lengths to measure the shape of earth improving navigation before electronic GPS.
现代GPS之前使用的工具
在20世纪电子GP和卫星出现之前，前几个世纪的导航器依靠模拟导航仪器。与GPS仪器直接相关的一些物体包括astro-compasses, quintants, and theodolites(thee-aa-di-lait) all used to measure the shape of earth and improve navigation. These tools were used to navigate, survey, and create maps. Here are a few examples of those instruments we have in The Mariners’ Museum and Park’s collection.
通过使用po Astro罗盘测量真北sitioning of celestial bodies. This type of compass was put into use mostly during polar exploration. It was one of the most reliable ways to determine north in the polar regions, something we take for granted in modern GPS. Other types of compasses, like magnetic compasses and gyrocompasses, were not useful in the poles. A gyrocompass is essentially too close to earth’s rotational axis point to work, and the magnetic needle in a traditional magnetic compass is essentially vertical (indicating geographic north) at most locations near the poles.
The pictured astro compass is made by W.W. Boes Company (Dayton, OH), circa 1944, and part of thePeter Ifland Collectionat the Museum. It was also used for aviation. It is made of plastic, glass, and metal.
A quintant is a portable, reflective instrument with an arc of 72 degrees. It is similar to a sextant in that it uses mirrors to assist in measuring angles, however, with a larger arc, it can measure a larger range (and is more precise). It was used to measure lunar distances.如图所示的Quintant是由E. Lorieux（法国巴黎）大约1870年创建的，当时被称为美国沿海调查可能是用于进行大地测量调查。它由黄铜，玻璃和银制成。
A theodolite is a calibrated optical instrument that determines relative positioning throughtriangulation（测量角度）。与测量师的过境类似，Theodolite的望远镜装有一个水平并安装在三脚架上。理想石可以测量垂直和水平角，因为仪器的底座具有旋转和旋转的能力。
该工具可用于测量，导航，地质，气象学和其他科学。测量师除了其他著名的仪器（例如过境）之外，仍然使用现代的理想石，这些仪器通常栖息在三脚架上。上图所示的定理石由1820年纽约市理查德·帕滕（Richard Patten）制造。它是由黄铜和玻璃制成的。
请注意在女子历史月3月在三月份重塑世界的另一个女性！
More reading, listening, and sources:
Learn more about联合国国际科学妇女和女孩日。
Read more information onAfrican American History Month。
About Dr Gladys B. West:
To learn more of Dr, West’s story, check out her memoirIt Began With a Dreamby: Dr. Gladys B. West, Mr M.H. Jackson.
For a quick discussion of her work with the field of geodesy, see the podcast about her fromCommand Line Heroes:Season 6 Episode 2:Dr. Gladys West – The Mathematician Who Reshaped Our World
https://massivesci.com/articles/science-heroes-gps-hidden-figures-scientist-women-physics-math/
https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-43812053
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/gladys-mae-west-1930/
https://apnews.com/article/2dee50a4b3be4564b417f7f7f569b38ba4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gladys_west
Instruments
Astro compass:https://catalogs.www.boxorats.com/object/CL26228
Quinint:https://catalogs.www.boxorats.com/object/CL9686
真主：https://catalogs.www.boxorats.com/object/cl28552
更多的GPS和相关信息：
https://timeandnavigation.si.edu/multimedia-asset/how-does-gps-work
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