This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating our partnership with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, an effort to amplify American women’s accomplishments to the public. American museums house rich materials about notable and regional figures, and Wikipedia provides a space to share untold stories. So Wiki Education worked with the Smithsonian to design a project … Continued
“So often, we hear that girls in science need more role models and inspiration. We’re asked, ‘Where are the women in science?’, as if we’re not already here.” – Dr. Maryam Zaringhalam and Dr. Jess Wade, Nature 500 Women Wiki Scientists is a project between Wiki Education and 500 Women Scientists to increase visibility … Continued
This fall, we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Wikipedia Student Program with a series of blog posts telling the story of the program in the United States and Canada. I was reflecting on how Wikipedia’s gender gap has changed over the past 10 years when I heard the news that Supreme Court Justice Ruth … Continued
The November election is coming up in just over three months, and while the presidential race will dominate headlines, there are a lot of statewide and regional district races and ballot measures that will also appear on ballots. Informing citizens on the issues and candidates on their ballots in a neutral, fact-based way is critical … Continued
Wikipedia is the most popular internet health content, more than NIH, Web MD, Mayo Clinic, and other sources (according to a 2014 study). Doctors use it. Patients use it. Policy makers use it. Thus, the volunteers who curate Wikipedia’s content take the quality of medical articles very seriously. But keeping content accurate, complete, and … Continued
Women are underrepresented on Wikipedia, and it’s a well-documented problem. I’ve spent the last 8 years working on Wikipedia, and the gender gap is the topic I most often see covered in the media (see examples here, here, and here). I certainly understand why. It’s devastating for most people to learn that the world’s most … Continued
When scientists share their rigorous research beyond their niche communities, they help restore the public’s trust in science. Wikipedia reaches people who are looking for reliable information, and Wiki Education is working to make sure academics, researchers, and scientists have the opportunity to reach those readers. This year, we did this by partnering with the … Continued
Women in Red at UMass Lowell is a one-year project to build digital literacy capacity in higher education and address the gender gap on campus and in Wikipedia. To kick off this project, 13 faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell will be accepted into Wiki Education’s synchronous Wiki Scholars course, meeting online once a … Continued
The 2020 election offers an opportunity for scientists to engage the public in thinking about how policy and science affect their daily lives. When voters search online to learn more about their candidates or ballot measures, they’ll inevitably end up reading about these topics on Wikipedia. 500 million readers come to Wikipedia each month to … Continued
