内容来源：https://www.engadget.com/science/dr-gladys-west-whose-mathematical-models-inspired-gps-dies-at-95-234605023.html?src=rss

内容总结：

全球卫星定位系统（GPS）数学基础奠基人、美国数学家格蕾蒂丝·韦斯特博士于当地时间1月18日安详离世，享年95岁。其家人通过社交媒体发布了这一消息。

韦斯特博士1930年出生于弗吉尼亚州，在种族隔离政策盛行的年代，她凭借卓越的数学天赋考入弗吉尼亚州立大学并取得数学硕士学位。1956年，她进入美国海军水面作战中心达尔格伦分部工作，在此后42年的职业生涯中，她于上世纪七八十年代主导构建了高精度地球数学模型，该成果为现代GPS系统的诞生奠定了关键理论基础。

尽管她的贡献深刻改变了全球航空航天、应急救援及日常生活导航方式，但其成就长期未获广泛关注。直至2018年，通过学术组织的推动，韦斯特博士陆续入选美国空军空间与导弹先驱荣誉堂、获评美国传统黑人大学年度杰出校友，这位幕后英雄的里程碑式贡献才逐渐进入公众视野。

2020年接受媒体采访时，这位低调的数学家曾透露，自己在日常生活中仍更偏爱使用纸质地图。韦斯特博士的逝世引发了国际科技界对边缘群体科研工作者历史贡献的再度反思。

中文翻译：

全球定位系统（GPS）数学模型的奠基人格莱迪丝·韦斯特博士逝世，享年95岁。这位数学先驱的贡献直到2018年才获得广泛关注。

你可能不熟悉格莱迪丝·韦斯特博士的名字，但她的成就早已融入现代生活——她为全球定位系统奠定了数学基础。正如我们的日常体验所示，GPS如今已成为航空、应急救援等众多行业不可或缺的组成部分，也确保人们能准时赴约或参加面试。

韦斯特博士的家人于2026年1月18日通过社交媒体发布讣告："世界在今晨失去了一位先驱。格莱迪丝·韦斯特博士在家人的陪伴下安详离世，此刻已与逝去的挚爱在天堂重聚。我们衷心感谢所有人已给予并将持续传递的哀思与祈祷。"

1930年，韦斯特出生于弗吉尼亚州。尽管身处南方种族隔离法的压迫之下，她仍成功进入弗吉尼亚州立学院（现弗吉尼亚州立大学）深造，先后获得数学学士与硕士学位。1956年，她受聘于位于达尔格伦的海军水面作战中心（现称）。上世纪七八十年代，韦斯特专注于依据卫星数据构建精确的地球形态数学模型——这项需要高超数学技巧的复杂工作足以令普通人望而生畏。这些模型后来成为GPS系统的核心支柱。她在该中心持续工作42年，直至1998年退休。

与众多推动美国科技突破的女性（尤其是有色人种女性）境遇相似，韦斯特的贡献在数十年间鲜获赞誉。2018年，她在姐妹会活动中提交个人成就简介后，阿尔法·卡帕·阿尔法姐妹会成员协助她获得了迟来的认可。同年，她先后入选美国空军空间与导弹先驱荣誉堂，并在历史悠久的黑人院校奖项评选中获评年度杰出女校友。《卫报》2020年刊登的专访揭示了这位先驱更多的人生细节：令人玩味的是，韦斯特日常出行时仍偏爱纸质地图，而非她间接参与创造的定位技术。

英文来源：

Dr. Gladys West, whose mathematical models inspired GPS, dies at 95
Her decades-long career only began receiving wider recognition in 2018.
Pioneering mathematician Dr. Gladys West has passed away at the age of 95. Her name may not be familiar to you, but her contributions certainly are; West's work laid the foundation for the global positioning system. As you likely know from experience, GPS is now an essential component of industries ranging from aviation and emergency response, as well as ensuring that you get to that dinner date or job interview on time.
This morning the world lost a pioneer in Dr Gladys West, she passed peacefully alongside her family and friends and is now in heaven with her loved ones. We thank you in advance for all of the love and prayers you have and will continue to provide pic.twitter.com/FJ3aGfEiHP
— Dr. Gladys B. West (@DrGladysBWest) January 18, 2026
West was born in 1930 in Virginia. Despite the oppression of Jim Crow laws in the south, she was able to pursue higher education at Virginia State College (now named Virginia State University), obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics. In 1956, West was hired at what is now called the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, VA. Her focus during the 1970s and 1980s was creating accurate models of the Earth's shape based on satellite data, a complex task requiring the type of mathematical gymnastics that would make the average person dizzy. Those models later became the backbone for GPS. West worked at the Dahlgren center for 42 years, retiring in 1998.
As has been the case with so many of the women, particularly those of color, behind tech and science breakthroughs in the US, West's work went largely uncelebrated for decades. After submitting a short biography of her accomplishments to a sorority function in 2018, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha helped West to receive belated recognition for her contributions. She was inducted into the US Air Force Space and Missiles Pioneers Hall of Fame and honored as Female Alumna of the Year by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Awards in that same year. The Guardian published an interview with West in 2020 that shared some insights on her journey, including a note that when West was out and about, she favored paper maps over the technology she indirectly helped create.