How Wikipedia fosters connections between research and industry
Michael Maroun is a mathematical physicist who has also worked as a quantitative analyst, technical consultant, auditor, and professor throughout his professional career. Maroun participated in Wiki Education’s Spring Wiki Scientists course sponsored by the American Physical Society. His perspective on the connections between the research sciences, industry, and Wikipedia reflect the innumerable applications of … Continued
Science communication and equity on Wikipedia
The American Physical Society (APS) sponsors instructional courses through Wiki Education to help increase the accessibility of physics information and research online. Their dedication to communicating science with the public is easily supported by the Wikipedia platform and Wiki Education courses, which invite scholars and scientists to take part in increasing the quality of information … Continued
Libraries and Wikidata: Using linked data to expand access to library collections worldwide
Libraries are among the many institutions that benefit from linked data sharing on Wikidata. Sierra Laddusaw, an assistant professor and curator at Texas A&M University, participated in one of Wiki Education’s Wikidata Institute courses this past fall. As someone with professional capabilities in archives and academia, Laddusaw’s experience using Wikidata is a testament to the … Continued
Using Wikidata as a tool for inter-institutional collaboration and accessible collection data: SFMOMA
Wikidata’s emphasis on context, accessibility, and data visualization makes it a relevant asset to cultural institutions like museums, as a way to document art facts and history. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is one such institution becoming increasingly interested in the possibilities of using Wikidata to explore collaborative art documentation in … Continued
A Wikipedian gets assigned to edit Wikipedia in a college class
Adam started editing Wikipedia anonymously in elementary school, making minor copy edits. In 2017, over winter break from high school in Novato, California, he started experimenting more seriously, creating a user account (User:KidAd), improving the writing on a variety of articles, and tackling articles on movies, albums, and politicians. Three years later, he’s racked up … Continued
An assignment that changed a life: Kasey Baker
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. Ten years ago, Kasey Baker was pursuing his master’s degree in public administration at Western Carolina University, when he took a policy analysis course that changed his … Continued
How Wikipedia led to sewing: Tighe Flanagan
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. Tighe Flanagan was just starting his master’s degree in Arab Studies at Georgetown University when he took a class in fall 2010 that gave him an assignment … Continued
From student to professor: Amanda Levendowski
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. Amanda Levendowski was a college senior 10 years ago when her professor assigned her to edit a Wikipedia article as a class assignment, part of … Continued
UBC student creates article on missing genus
In the spring 2020 academic term, higher education around the world shifted from in-person to virtual classes. The University of British Columbia was no exception, but for students in Dr. Shona Ellis’s Morphology and Evolution of Bryophytes class, the switch wasn’t as challenging as it could’ve been, because a key assignment was to improve a … Continued
Building student confidence and sharing knowledge outside the academic silo
When Hilary Wilson first took a look at the Wikipedia article she was to improve for her Earth science class, she realized the geological element didn’t even have a clear definition stated on the page. “That was my main inspiration for what needed to be changed and added.” The assignment was part of Dr. Jim … Continued