Exhibit honors the legacy of Dr. Gladys West

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impact 1:41 Exhibit honors the legacy of Dr. Gladys West

By:

Craig Newcomb

11 Mar 2025

Mathematician Gladys West’s ’00 inspirational career paved the way for the Global Positioning System and forever changed navigation. Her story is now on display in a new mobile exhibit underwritten by Trimble in the lobby of the newly opened Academic Building One at Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus in Alexandria. The exhibit will remain through June 2025 and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm.

Is this a glorious day or is this a glorious day? I face time my grandmother. So you guys will get to see Dr. West real quick. Say hi gammy. (applause) This event marks a significant moment in recognizing the invaluable contribution of a pioneering mathematician whose work has profoundly impacted the world. She really pioneered what we now call GPS. She worked so hard and tirelessly to make an impact at just her job. Just her job. She just wanted to be the best at her job. And she was really pioneering work at a time when people that looked like her, both female and African American, just weren't working in those fields. She had to have so much courage to think about what she needed to do. She had courage as a woman of color. She had courage as a woman. To do what she did. There's a generation of women right now and young girls, just like my daughters that are looking up to these heroes to achieve and push them over to the next level. Thank you guys for being here on behalf of my family. I really appreciate you guys.

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