Shifting the spotlight through Wikipedia
Alicia Robang is a Ph.D. student in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. As a participant of the 500 Women Wiki Scientists program, she was able to contribute biographies of Filipina scientists and reflect on the power of Wikipedia to tell stories of and for more communities. As a young girl, … Continued
A Wikipedian six years in the making
In 2014, I joined Wiki Education as Program Manager for the Wikipedia Student Program. Six years later, I can now proudly call myself a real Wikipedian! Though I had never edited Wikipedia myself before joining Wiki Education, I believed whole-heartedly in its mission of making knowledge free and accessible to all and was thrilled to be part of … Continued
The wonderful world of Wikipedia
Yohanna White graduated from the University of Georgia in May 2020 with an MS in Chemistry. She recently took the Wiki Scholars Informing Citizens training to learn how she can expand representation in Wikipedia. Her past community efforts to diversify STEM workplaces for women, underrepresented populations in higher education, and undocumented students inspired her to … Continued
Improving reproductive health articles on Wikipedia
The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court has brought the issue of abortion access back into the forefront and people try to understand the impact her confirmation might have on abortion rights in the US. I grew up in a country where abortion was neither legal nor uncommon. While I never … Continued
10 years of learning to engage experts
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. Saying that Wikipedia has changed a lot over the past ten years is an understatement. One of the ways that Wikipedia has changed the most … Continued
How we helped voters get neutral information
The 2020 elections are fast approaching in the United States, and as people prepare to vote (often from home, by mail) they’re looking for information that can help them make up their minds. At first glance that seems surprising: Surely almost everyone has made up their minds about whether they support Donald Trump or Joe … Continued
Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day with Wikipedia
Today is Ada Lovelace Day, honoring women in STEM. Named after Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, who is widely considered to be one of the first computer programmers. Improving Wikipedia’s coverage of women in STEM has been an ongoing theme around Ada Lovelace Day. In the 10 years we’ve been supporting student editors through our Wikipedia Student … Continued
How a Wiki Scholar improved a Nobel laureate’s biography
We awoke this morning to the exciting news that the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded today to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for their work on CRISPR. It’s exciting to see this amazing discovery recognized, and it’s great to see the prize go to women, but I was especially pleased that a participant in one … Continued
Elevating the voices of women in science through Wikipedia
Adriana Bankston is a Principal Legislative Analyst at University of California. She recently took the 500 Women Scientists Wiki Scholars course and reflects on her experience in this guest blog post. This post represents the writer’s personal views and not the views of their employer, University of California. I’m a former bench scientist who transitioned … Continued
Into the WikiWorld
Valerie Bentivegna is a bio-engineer working and living in Seattle. She is a member of the Seattle pod of 500 Women Scientists and chair of the Communication Working Group of the Marie Curie Alumni Association. You can follow her on her personal blog and on Twitter. We all know Wikipedia. It’s almost impossible not to. … Continued