TomFeb 3, 2023
John C. Varner III
The next time you use any navigation device, software or Google Maps thank Dr. Gladys West. Her contributions to the mathematical modeling of the shape of Earth, and her work on the development of the satellite models that were eventually incorporated into  the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. #BlackMastodon #BlackHistoryMonth
Feb 2, 2023 at 10:23pmWeb
Show threadDiane Ademu-JohnFeb 2, 2023
@LilHulkQ Love this! I’m reading her autobiography! Turns out she went to school with my mom, who got a tiny mention in the book 😁 #blackhistorymonth #blackmastodon #gladyswest
Show threadMicheleFeb 2, 2023
@junkyardmessiah @LilHulkQ that would make an awesome book for children too
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@junkyardmessiah - She’s awesome. I got to interview her for the Smithsonian a couple years ago, when she was 100 years old.
Show threadDiane Ademu-JohnFeb 3, 2023
@rlpaulprodn Amazing!!
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@junkyardmessiah - It’s for a project that’s supposed to happen, but COVID and money have gotten in the way. I’m not allowed to talk about it, but I think I can say that it’ll be awesome when it happens.
Show threadJohn C. Varner IIIFeb 3, 2023
@junkyardmessiah Now that's cool!
Show threadAir AdamFeb 3, 2023
@junkyardmessiah @LilHulkQ amazing! 🙌🏿
Show threadMath LoverFeb 3, 2023
@junkyardmessiah @LilHulkQ very cool. I’m building my classroom library and will check out the book. :)
Show threadGrinning Cat Feb 3, 2023

@Mathlover @junkyardmessiah @LilHulkQ

Glad you're (clearly) not in FloriDUH!

(A reflection not of most teachers and students, but of the Republicans in power there who treat books, especially ones about Black and/or LGBTQIA+ people, as threats.)

Show threadMath LoverFeb 4, 2023
@grinningcat @junkyardmessiah @LilHulkQ they know that if Americas are educated in our actual history, we will continue to create generations of less racist people and loose voters . That’s my theory, anyway.
Show threadGrinning Cat Feb 4, 2023

@Mathlover @junkyardmessiah @LilHulkQ "Loose voters" as opposed to voters who "tightly" follow the Republican party line? :)

(Sorrynotsorry, I can't let a good typo go to waste!)

Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ
Show threadMeteorología y ClimatologíaFeb 3, 2023

@rlpaulprodn

"Jeanette Scissum joined NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 1964 after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from Alabama A&M University. Scissum published a NASA report in 1967, “Survey of Solar Cycle Prediction Models,” which put forward techniques for improved forecasting of the sunspot cycle. In the mid-1970s she worked as a space scientist in the Space Environment Branch of Marshall’s Space Sciences Laboratory and later ...."

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/feature/where-the-past-meets-the-present-marshall-figures-recognized

Where the Past Meets the Present: Marshall Figures Recognized

On Sept. 27, at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama, the past met the present and planned for the future as Jeanette Scissum-Mickens, a retired NASA Marshall Space Flight Center scientist, was recognized by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and current Marshall mishap investigation specialist Ruth Jones told her own story and moderated a panel.

NASA
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@PClimatologia - There's so much to say about this. This will probably be a thread. First, the article is wrong in that it says Jeanette was "the first African-American mathematician hired at NASA." She was the first African-American *Woman* mathematician hired at NASA. The first Black mathematician hired at NASA in Alabama was Clyde Foster. You'll notice that the article says, "The event was held at the Clyde Foster Multipurpose Room" at Alabama A&M. More on Clyde in my next post.
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@PClimatologia - The picture of Clyde in my last post shows him standing with a student who is working at a computer. Clyde started the first BS degree program in computer science in the state of Alabama. He did that at an HBCU, which is remarkable in itself. The woman sitting at the computer in that picture of Clyde is Gloria Hullett-Smith. She was a pioneer, herself.
Show threadDMussington-PhD (he/him)Feb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ a wonderful role model.
Show threadStargeezer SmithFeb 3, 2023

@LilHulkQ
I worked a lot with GPS. Wasn't aware of Dr. West's role in it's development.

Bravo!

Show threadStargeezer SmithFeb 3, 2023

@LilHulkQ
The post about Dr. Gladys West reminds me of the movie a few years ago called "Hidden Figures". It captured my attention about both the struggles and triumphs of Kathryn Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, and their involvement in our rocket program just over a decade before the work I was involved in at a more western rocket test facility.

It enlightened me quite a bit.

Show thread1Mar𝒵ipanFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ Thank you Dr. West.
Show threadJonKramer, CIS-HETFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ, we stand on the backs of giants. She is one such.
Show threadMath LoverFeb 3, 2023
@JonKramer @LilHulkQ exactly. I feel so much gratitude to those who paved the way for so many others
Show threadJonKramer, CIS-HETFeb 4, 2023
@LilHulkQ I think this is the 2nd block I have had to make on mastodon. I am impressed at the rarity.
Show threadJonKramer, CIS-HETFeb 4, 2023
@LilHulkQ. and 2 more blocks. What is wrong with these people?
Show threadJonKramer, CIS-HETFeb 4, 2023
@LilHulkQ and a 4th blocked.
Show threadJonKramer, CIS-HETFeb 4, 2023
@LilHulkQ I think I'm up to 8 blocked and reported now. Damn!
Show threadJonKramer, CIS-HETFeb 4, 2023
@LilHulkQ , looks like a white nationalist server??? Does "poa" mean something in their world?
Show threadmsgbiFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ @charles_ex
Show threadDegrowth or ExtinctionFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ In g*** maps, this knowledge is hidden behind profits and proprietary software. This knowledge is carried on open source software, on https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions and on @organicmaps 
OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.

OpenStreetMap
Show threadEd SandersFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ you should add the #blackfriday tag
Show threadwinterbaby40Feb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ Too many women go unrecognized.
Show threadLaurie SFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ ❤️
Show threadAviva GaryFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ nice
Show threadKeithFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ In a sane world, this woman would be wildly more wealthy than Elon Musk.
Show threadKathmanduFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ Neat! I never heard about Dr. Gladys West before!
Show threadLuis ÁngelFeb 4, 2023
@LilHulkQ thanks for sharing!
Show threadKaren SandlerFeb 5, 2023
@LilHulkQ ❤️
Show threadtoxtethogradyFeb 6, 2023
@LilHulkQ She was one of the greats...
Show threadcognitionFeb 6, 2023

@LilHulkQ
The models and math she developed were/are some of the most elegant out there.

I know it's Black History month, but you have to know she is more that just the colour of her skin or her gender. Her contributions to math, science, and everything that knowing where you are on the surface of the earth means should be celebrated on their own merit.