Ada Lovelace Day is an international celebration of women’s achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Lovelace was a 19th-century English mathematician and writer who also happened to be the very first computer programmer. She wrote what were essentially computer programs for the analytical engine that computing pioneer Charles Babbage conceptualized, but never actually created. Her contributions and achievements had been largely overlooked – an issue that continues to exist for women in many fields, especially science.

For the seventh time, York University Libraries – in collaboration with Professor Dawn Bazely from York’s Faculty of Science – will join the global celebration of Ada Lovelace Day with an event open to everyone with an interest in STEM subjects and the contributions of women.

The Ada Lovelace Day Women in Science Wikipedia and Wikidata Edit-a-Thon will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3 from noon to 3 p.m. online. Participants will have the opportunity to join an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students to create, expand and improve Wikipedia entries and Wikidata items about women in STEM, who are typically underrepresented.

“Wikipedia edit-a-thons help us rediscover the contributions of women in STEM over the centuries,” said Bazely.

In order to create a positive change, this informal workshop will critically examine the information represented on Wikipedia and Wikidata, while simultaneously providing hands-on editing experience. Those interested are invited to drop by any time. No experience is necessary, with training to be provided during the event.

“We want to engage the York community in a fun and easy way that really does make a difference in the representation of women,” said data visualization and analytics Librarian Alex Wong, an event co-organizer. “By editing Wikipedia and Wikidata, we can impact not only these platforms directly, but also indirectly impact how women get represented in larger technology projects like Google’s Knowledge Graph.”

To register and learn more, visit the event page.

“By improving how women in all the various STEM fields are covered on Wikipedia, just about anyone can make a concrete contribution towards making the world a better place,” said scholarly communications Librarian John Dupuis, another event co-organizer.

Courtesy of YFile.