Wiki Scientist Courses
Wikipedia editing courses
APS Wiki Scientist course
How often do you find yourself reading a Wikipedia article? Maybe there is a person or event you want to learn more about, or you need a refresher on Maxwell’s equations, or you want to learn how a tokamak works. Wikipedia provides information on all of these topics, and as one of the top ten visited websites in the world, it is a powerful tool for knowledge sharing.
To contribute to the advancement of physics knowledge through Wikipedia, as well as to elevate the visibility of women and other historically marginalized groups in the physics community, APS is excited to offer a Wiki Scientist course focused on plasma physics! In the course, participants will learn how to edit, update, and translate Wikipedia pages on plasma physics topics and scientists.
By participating in a Wiki Scientist course, you will:
- Improve access to physics knowledge for a global audience
- Raise awareness of the accomplishments of marginalized groups within physics
- Grow your science communication skills
Course dates: The course will meet virtually twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays at 2-3 p.m. ET, from July 15 through August 1. One absence is permitted.
Apply for the Wiki Scientist course today
Application deadline: June 10, 2024
Cost
Membership is NOT required to participate. For guaranteed enrollment, the registration fee is $500.
Full scholarships are being offered by the following units and committees:
- Division of Plasma Physics is sponsoring half of the seats in this course!
- Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public
- Forum on Diversity and Inclusion
- Forum on Education
Partial scholarships are offered to all APS members. These partial scholarships will lower the registration fee to the following:
- APS undergraduate members: $25
- APS graduate members: $35
- APS early career members: $65
- APS regular or lifetime members: $100
Learn the science communication skills needed to update Wikipedia and share physics with the general public
As of February 2023, less than twenty percent of the biographies on Wikipedia were about women, and the statistics for underrepresented groups were no better. Through Wikipedia editing courses, participants receive training from Wikipedia experts to elevate the achievements of women and other underrepresented groups in physics, grow as effective science communicators, reach a global audience, and build public trust in science. Participants can also contribute to specific physics topics, such as quantum physics.
Wikidata courses
Help the public get quick access to accurate science information
Wikidata, is the structured, open data repository that makes Wikipedia machine-readable. Wikidata often provides the initial search responses generated by Google, Alexa, other search engines and digital voice assistants.
In Wikidata courses, you will learn to apply your expertise to Wikidata's manual curation as well as use it to find and fill in gaps in physics content on Wikipedia.
What our course participants are saying
Physicists and students who have taken the Wiki Scientist courses have grown as science educators and communicators, bringing their experiences from the courses into their classrooms and careers.
Gaining teaching resources
“I aim to incorporate this into my teaching…I now have the resources to guide [students] on selecting a subject and on researching.”
–Andrew Seredinski, physics faculty, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Finding career directions
“I consider that what I learned about how this kind of text must be written...could be a starting point to pursue a career as a scientific communicator.”
–Isabel Yajaira Rojas Martinez, graduate student, National Autonomous University of Mexico
Improving as a science communicator
“The technical writing and publishing skills gained from this experience have significantly improved my abilities as a science communicator.”
–William Munizzi, graduate student, Arizona State University
Related resources
Wiki Scientist Edit-a-thons
Edit-a-thons bring physicists together to learn to edit and write Wikipedia pages to elevate women and other underrepresented groups in physics.
Wiki Scientist
Wiki Scientist trains physicists as Wikipedia editors, to highlight the scientific accomplishments women and underrepresented groups.
Public Engagement
Join us to bridge the gap between science and society and become an empowered, effective ambassador for science.