Watercolor portrait of Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (Ada Lovelace) by Alfred Edward Chalon [Public domain]
You don't have to be in Washington, D.C. to be a part of our events to write women into history! Join us for a day of Wikipedia editing and tutorials on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 about women in aviation, space, and STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics)!
The event will be streamed in a live webcast, so you can be a part of the event from anywhere in the world. The Smithsonian is growing its collections and resources to represent a more diverse women's history to share with people worldwide.
Currently, only 18% of biographies of Wikipedia English are about women—we hope to help change that. In early 2019, the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative brought on a Wikipedian-in-Residence for Gender Equity, Kelly Doyle, to diversify the community of editors working on women's history articles, and to develop a series of in-person and online events focusing on women's history. Women have been a big part in aviation and space from the very beginning as pioneers, test-pilots, designers and engineers, astronauts, and more. Hear just a slice of these exciting stories from our National Air and Space Museum experts and from Wikipedia mentors who can teach you how to leave your mark on the 5th most visited website in the world.
No experience is necessary and beginners are welcome. Whether you attend in person or via livestream you'll learn how to edit Wikipedia, learn about important female figures in the history of aerospace and aviation, and be able to collaborate digitally with Wikipedia editors!
If you join us in-person at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum (NASM), coffee and lunch will be provided to fuel your editing. For those who can't attend in person, our training session will be livestreamed on NASM's Facebook page and website. Register now to reserve your spot for the in-person event.
This edit-a-thon is in celebration of Ada Lovelace Day, an international series of events which focuses on the long history of women in STEM. We are excited to collaborate with WikiProject Women in Red and 500 Women Scientists for this event. WikiProject Women in Red has been a driving force in raising the number of biographies about women on Wikipedia. 500 Women Scientists works to elevate women in STEM related fields. Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight (Women in Red) and Maryam Zaringhalam (500 Women Scientists) will be in attendance as both of their organizations have hosted previous Ada Lovelace Day edit-a-thons in the past; we are excited to collaborate on a joint effort this year. You'll have the opportunity to hear Rosie and Maryam speak about their experiences with Ada Lovelace Day and Wikipedia at the event!