If we now compare the actual sea level in different locations to what we're calling sea level, the two may be off by hundreds of feet. The problem is that because the earth isn't uniformly dense, sea level varies throughout the world. When we hear that a plane is traveling at thirty-two thousand feet above sea level, what exactly does that mean? Well, we take the average height of the water around the world and call that sea level. It's an important question when determining altitude. And among the many questions she addressed, one in particular came to define her professional legacy: what was the shape of the earth? She chose math, and it was the gateway to a fascinating career.Īfter a brief stint teaching, she took a position at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia, where she stayed for the next forty-two years. One of a mere handful of women in attendance, her skills were such that she was encouraged to get a degree in science or math. She worked hard in school, graduating at the top of her class and earning a scholarship to Virginia State University, a historically black public land grant college. But West wanted more than a life in the fields, and saw that education was the road to success. Surrounded by sharecroppers, her own family was fortunate enough to have a small farm. Growing up in rural Virginia in the nineteen thirties and forties, Gladys West was lucky. The University of Houston presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.
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