Back West Area Computing Unit German West Area Computers Spanish West Area Computers French West Area Computers Galician West Area Computers Italian West Area Computers Portuguese மேற்குப் புலக் கணிப்பாளர்கள் Tamil West Area Computers Ukrainian

West Area Computers

West Area Computing Unit
NationalityAmerican
Other namesWest Computers, West Area Computers
OccupationNASA Mathematicians
Years active1943–1958

The West Computers (West Area Computing Unit, West Area Computers) were the African American, female mathematicians who worked as human computers at the Langley Research Center of NACA (predecessor of NASA) from 1943 through 1958. These women were a subset of the hundreds of female mathematicians who began careers in aeronautical research during World War II. To offset the loss of manpower as men joined the war effort, many U.S. organizations began hiring, and actively recruiting, more women and minorities during the 1940s. In 1935, the Langley Research Center had five female human computers on staff.[1] By 1946, the Langley Research Center had recruited about 400 female human computers.[1][2]

The West Computers were originally subject to Virginia's Jim Crow laws and got their name because they worked at Langley's West Area, while the white mathematicians worked in the East section.[3] In order to work at NACA, the applicants had to pass a civil service exam. Despite Executive Order 8802 outlawing discriminatory hiring practices in defense industries, the Jim Crow laws of Virginia overpowered it and made it more difficult for African American women to be hired than white women.[4] If the applicant was black, they would also have to complete a chemistry course at the nearby Hampton Institute.[5] Even though they did the same work as the white female human computers at Langley, the West Computers were required to use segregated work areas,[2] bathrooms, and cafeterias.[6] The West Computers were originally sequestered into the West Area of Langley, hence their nickname.[2] In 1958, when the NACA made the transition to NASA, segregated facilities, including the West Computing office, were abolished.[7]

The work of human computers at Langley varied. However, most of the work involved reading, analyzing, and plotting data.[1] The human computers did this work by hand. They would work one-on-one with engineers or in computing sections.[1] The computers played major roles in aircraft testing, supersonic flight research, and the space program.[1] Although the female computers were as skilled as their male counterparts, they were officially hired as "subprofessionals" while males held "professional" status. The status of professional allowed newly-hired men to be paid $2,600 annually (about $46,000 in 2023)[8] while newly-hired women began at $1,440 annually (about $25,000 in 2023)[8] due to their subprofessional title.[5]

According to an unpublished study by Beverly E. Golemba of Langley's early computers, a number of other women did not know about the West Computers.[9] That said, both the black and white women Golemba interviewed recalled that when computers from both groups were assigned to a project together, "everyone worked well together."[10][6][11]

On November 8, 2019, the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded "In recognition of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) between the 1930s and the 1970s."[12]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Human Computers".
  2. ^ a b c Zing, Tsjeng (2018). Forgotten Women: The Scientists. Cassell Illustrated. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-78840-042-8.
  3. ^ Haynes, Korey (February 2017). "Fighting FOR Visibility". Astronomy. Vol. 45, no. 2. pp. 44–49. ISSN 0091-6358.
  4. ^ Williams, Talithia (2018). Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics. New York, New York: Race Point Publishing. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-63106-485-2.
  5. ^ a b Edwards, Sue Bradford; Harris, Duchess (2017). Hidden Human Computers: The Black Women of NASA. North Mankato, Minnesota: Essential Library. p. 68. ISBN 9781680783872.
  6. ^ a b McLennan, Sarah (2011). "Human Computers". NASA Cultural Resources. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  7. ^ Loff, Sarah (22 November 2016). "Dorothy Vaughan Biography". NASA. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  8. ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "Beverly E. Golemba Papers, MS 307, Archives of Women in Science and Engineering, Special Collections Department". Iowa State University Library. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  10. ^ ""Panel Discussion with Women Computers" NASA Langley videotape". December 13, 1990.
  11. ^ Beverly Golemba, Human Computers: The Women in Aeronautical Research, unpublished manuscript 1994, NASA Langley Archives
  12. ^ "H.R.1396 - Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act". Congress.gov. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

Developed by razib.in