It’s no secret that women’s achievements in STEM fields often go unrecognized, or are even attributed to their male colleagues. Gender gaps persist across society, from workplace culture to academic publishing and media coverage – and despite the ongoing efforts of individual editors, organized groups, and organizations like Wiki Education, Wikipedia’s coverage of women in STEM reflect these same gaps.
Consequently, women in STEM often lack visible role models in their fields on Wikipedia and beyond, which reinforce the stereotype that women simply don’t excel in STEM professions – an incredibly discouraging thought for any young woman interested in pursuing a career in STEM.
But soon, more notable women in STEM will be represented on the world’s go-to encyclopedia, providing career insight and inspiration to readers across the globe.
Thanks to a one-year grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, Wiki Education will expand its work to support higher education faculty and their students to add new and improve existing biographies of women in STEM.
This new grant, which builds upon Wiki Education’s ongoing work to improve representation of figures in STEM fields, will support our efforts to expand enrollment of postsecondary instructors from fields including Science Communication, Biology, Geology, and History of Science in the Wikipedia Student Program.
“The impact of women in the sciences has long been overlooked, leaving girls and young women without the role models they might need to pursue STEM, and leaving the public without a robust understanding of the history and contributions of women in scientific research,” said Aida Gureghian, Program Director, Leadership at the Henry Luce Foundation. “This grant to Wiki Education will invite a new generation of young scientists to explore and share the experiences of their predecessors with Wikipedia’s global audience.”
Guided by Wiki Education’s curriculum, resources, and staff, the students will critically assess Wikipedia’s existing biographies of women in STEM. They’ll pinpoint information missing from existing biographies, identify notable figures entirely absent from the encyclopedia, and work to fill these gaps.
Whether they create a new biography or improve an existing article, the student editors will be tasked with developing neutral, fact-based information that cites high-quality, reliable sources. Not only will their efforts directly enhance Wikipedia’s coverage of this topic area, but their contributions will likely bring new attention from other Wikipedia editors and readers.
Wiki Education is deeply appreciative to the Henry Luce Foundation for supporting this critical work to improve the visibility of notable women in STEM, informing and inspiring readers around the world.
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission by nurturing knowledge communities and institutions, fostering dialogue across divides, enriching public discourse, amplifying diverse voices, and investing in leadership development.
Interested in incorporating a Wikipedia assignment into your course? Visit teach.wikiedu.org to learn more about the free resources, digital tools, and staff support that Wiki Education offers to postsecondary instructors in the United States and Canada.
