The Dr. Gladys West Scholarship Program

Access to education is a pathway for the future

The Dr. Gladys West Scholarship Program enables universities to award a four-year scholarship to one student each year.

University of Colorado Denver logo

University of Colorado Denver

Supports undergraduate students pursuing tech careers in the Construction Engineering and Management program. Open to future industry leaders with financial need.

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Florida International University logo

Florida International University

A minority-serving institution, FIU will award the Dr. Gladys West Trimble Technology Lab Scholarship to a first generation student in the College of Engineering & Computing.

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Dr. Gladys West

This scholarship program honors the tenacity, talent and enterprising fortitude of Dr. Gladys West, a pioneer in the mathematics, minority advancement and the advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS). The program embodies two of the Trimble Foundation's key support pillars: female education and empowerment and embracing diverse perspectives.

Education

Born in 1930, Dr. West knew from a young age that education would be the key to moving forward from her family farm in rural Virginia. A scholarship recipient herself, Dr. West earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mathematics at Virginia State University. Hired as a mathematician in 1956 with Virginia's Naval Proving Ground, she was one of only four African American employees at the time.

Experience

With her intelligence and computational skills recognized, Dr. West quickly climbed the ranks and became project manager for the Seasat radar altimetry project in the 1960s. Knowledge gained through that work enabled her to program an IBM computer to calculate an accurate geodetic Earth model the essential building block for GPS.

Impact

Known today as the hidden figure who helped invent GPS, Dr. West is one of the reasons why consumers can receive driving directions from a phone or tag a photo location on social media. And why professionals in industrial markets such as construction, transportation and agriculture can leverage geospatial technology to realize significant improvements in productivity, quality, safety, transparency and sustainability to transform the way they work with precision.

Learn how Trimble makes a difference

Trimble Foundation

The Trimble Foundation is helping to support people in need and improve their livelihood by addressing issues that resonate with our mission, core competencies and values.

Education & Outreach

Trimble offers many opportunities for today's students to access resources and knowledge to help them plan their careers and make an impact in the livelihood of the world.