When first-year college student Oskar Martinez sat down to edit the Wikipedia article about Mexican chemist Osvaldo Gutierrez, he wasn’t just working on an assignment — he was adding depth to a story that felt familiar.
“Growing up in the city of Los Angeles from a family of immigrant grandparents, as well as an immigrant mother, I understood what Osvaldo’s journey was like, and the challenges that came with living in a city like he did,” said Martinez. “Contributing to his story and what he went through was honestly an honor for me, and the reason why it felt so meaningful.”
Through extensive research and careful attention to source quality, Martinez worked to expand the information about Gutierrez’s early life and career.
The hardest part? Finding new sources for the article that met Wikipedia’s reliability standards, a challenge familiar to everyone working to fill gaps in the encyclopedia’s coverage of historically underrepresented topic areas and figures.
While Martinez considered his Wikipedia assignment more difficult than a traditional assignment due to the depth of research required, he ultimately appreciated the process.
“Researching Osvaldo and his life was fun because of how much I had to look for anything [I could use as a credible source],” said Martinez. “It was like I was a detective finding information, and being able to find details was very rewarding.”
Martinez, who plans to major in criminal justice, also drew connections between his career aspirations and the critical skills he developed throughout his Wikipedia assignment.
“This assignment required a lot of digging deep into the internet, as well as writing properly,” said Martinez. “This could especially be useful in a career like law enforcement or investigations because those jobs require a lot of writing and research [for] reports.”
Beyond research and writing skills, the project creates a deeper appreciation for Wikipedia’s role in shaping public understanding of figures like Gutierrez, explained Martinez as he noted the broad reach of the platform.
And now, thanks to his thoughtful approach and thorough research, the challenges, perseverance, and accomplishments of a STEM professional are more visible to readers everywhere.
Oskar’s work on Wikipedia is part of a larger Wiki Education initiative sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation, which supports creating and improving biographies of diverse people in STEM on Wikipedia.
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.
