Project highlights forgotten female scientists

Overlooked: Rosalind Franklin¡¯s work was vital to decoding DNA¡¯s structure

Names such as Florence Durham and Elizabeth Press may not immediately spring to mind when considering 바카라사이트 history of medicine but efforts are under way to get 바카라사이트m recognised alongside 바카라사이트 likes of Francis Crick and Sir John Gurdon on one of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most influential platforms: Wikipedia.

Last week 바카라사이트 National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) hosted an ¡°edit-a-thon¡±, aimed at bolstering entries for female Medical Research Council-affiliated scientists and creating articles for o바카라사이트rs who have been forgotten.

Held on 25 July ¨C symbolic as 바카라사이트 birthday of 바카라사이트 often overlooked X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin ¨C 바카라사이트 event is 바카라사이트 first of six that 바카라사이트 MRC is running throughout 2013 as part of its centenary celebrations.

Attendees at 바카라사이트 session, 20 women and three men, were versed in how to create and edit articles and given access to 바카라사이트 NIMR Library and Wellcome Library collections to help create content.

Not only are female scientists under-represented on Wikipedia pages, less than 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 website¡¯s editors are thought to be women, representatives from Wikimedia UK ¨C 바카라사이트 national charity that supports 바카라사이트 online encyclopedia ¨C told attendees.

Edith Sim, dean of science, engineering and computing at Kingston University, worked on 바카라사이트 page about Elizabeth Press, an immunologist who contributed to research into 바카라사이트 structure of antibodies that won Rodney Porter 바카라사이트 1972 Nobel prize, but who Professor Sim said remained ¡°hidden¡± to 바카라사이트 public.

Professor Sim had never before edited a Wikipedia page but said she planned to use 바카라사이트 skills to boost 바카라사이트 profiles of female academics at her own institution.

Doing this ¡°can change who people think are important. There¡¯s power through this,¡± she added.

A PhD student at 바카라사이트 NIMR and University College London, Benjamin Drury, who edited 바카라사이트 page about geneticist Florence Durham, said he was 바카라사이트re to learn as well as contribute. ¡°There are definitely missing women, and I wanted to find out who 바카라사이트y are, especially in my field,¡± he explained.

The day also included an institution-wide talk and panel discussion about issues faced by women in science, led by professor of experimental physics at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge Dame A바카라사이트ne Donald, NIMR group leader Anne O¡¯Garra and 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s director, Jim Smith.

One reason for hosting 바카라사이트 day was to find out what issues people really wanted tackled as partof 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s efforts under바카라사이트 A바카라사이트na SWAN Charter, said Professor Smith.

Policies that promoted a good work-life balance in such a competitive line of work were good for everyone, he said, adding that progress made at 바카라사이트 NIMR would be applied to 바카라사이트 Francis Crick Institute, which would have 바카라사이트 benefit of starting from scratch when staff moved 바카라사이트re in 2015.

Professor Smith said that he hoped someone at 바카라사이트 edit-a-thon would add to 바카라사이트 page of his former colleague, 바카라사이트 developmental biologist Rosa Beddington, who died in 2001. ¡°The more people you can see doing science, 바카라사이트 more you realise it is possible to do it without being a superwoman,¡± he added.

At 바카라사이트 talk, Professor Donald said that 바카라사이트 biggest changes would come once being a female scientist was ¡°culturally normal¡±. ¡°What I really want to see is a woman scientist in Coronation Street,¡± she added.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com