Improving Wikipedia’s coverage of Indigenous Canadians
Improving Wikipedia’s coverage of historically marginalized populations has long been a driving force behind our work, so we’re proud to highlight the incredible work of two classes from Fall 2020 that sought to advance Wikipedia’s content around Indigenous populations of Canada. Both courses tackled the systemic biases that continue to pervade Canadian institutions as they relate to Indigenous peoples … Continued
Expanding Wikipedia’s coverage of African topics
Despite being the largest project of its kind in human history with a reach that’s global, Wikipedia’s coverage skews heavily toward articles about the Global North. In much of the rest of the world, coverage can be spotty, and that’s especially true for a topic like politics. This is why a class like Martha Wilfahrt’s African … Continued
From living building materials to printed organs
Some of the most interesting classes work on topics that leave you with a sense that the future is now. Many of the articles Edmund Palermo’s Biology in Materials Science class worked on leave you with that sensation. Living building materials are building materials that mimic properties of living organisms. These include compounds like self-replicating concrete, self-mending biocement, … Continued
Students document workplace health risks on Wikipedia amidst global pandemic
Are you familiar with occupational epidemiology? It’s the study of whether working conditions are safe for workers. As workplaces determine whether or not it’s safe to open up facilities again and resume “normal” work amidst a global pandemic, organization leaders are ideally making these important decisions with science and employee safety in mind. Public health … Continued
Students use Wikipedia to highlight forgotten victims of nuclear weapons
Most could tell you the significance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: the first usage of nuclear weapons in warfare. But many would be surprised to learn that the US continued to drop nuclear bombs on islands of the Pacific, long after World War II was finished. Students in the Japanese Environmental History class taught by Dr. … Continued
Engineering students are helping inform millions about Zoom’s data privacy practices
As classrooms and workplaces have turned virtual over the last month plus, many are finding that video conferencing is hardly a perfect replacement for in-person interaction. Not only that, they’re also raising privacy concerns that many didn’t have to consider before. How does Zoom collect and use our personal data? What should consumers be aware … Continued
Student-created immunology content on Wikipedia receiving a lot of attention this month
The immune system is complex and fascinating. Cells of our immune system encounter and destroy bacteria and viruses daily, most often without our even being aware of their presence. So begins the description for Dr. Debby Walser-Kuntz’s immunology course at Carleton College this spring. After looking into components of vertebrate immune systems and how cells … Continued
Writing for a time of need
Unlike traditional writing assignments where a student’s work is ephemeral, the Wikipedia writing assignment allows for student work to persist on in the public reach. Student work can later become highly relevant and important in response to current events. Last spring, a University of Maryland student in Dr. L. Jen Shaffer’s Researching Environment and Culture … Continued
Wikipedia as a teaching tool that empowers students
“I’ve improved my student reviews from it.” Dr. Jennifer Glass’ environmental geochemistry course at Georgia Tech last fall covered “how chemical, biological, and geological processes control the distribution of chemical elements on Earth and the solar system.” Through a semester-long Wikipedia writing assignment, she wanted students to gain experience “in scientific writing on notable topics … Continued
Representing accomplishments of elite Indigenous athletes on Wikipedia
What are the implications if the world’s leading source of online information highlights the accomplishments of elite Indigenous athletes? It’s a question that Dr. Vicky Paraschak’s class at University of Windsor surely discussed as they created brand new Wikipedia biographies for Indigenous athletes from Canada as an assignment this last fall. Tony Cote, the first … Continued