Education and Diversity News

Communication and Negotiation Skills Seminar for Women

With support from the National Science Foundation, APS has trained women in physics to host professional skills seminars for students and postdocs at APS-sponsored meetings and at universities and institutions. Professional Skills Development Seminars are highly interactive workshops where participants will learn and practice communication and negotiation skills. For more information, please visit the skills seminar page.

Wiki Scientist Course Will Be Available Soon

Give a voice to the voiceless and impact your field by becoming a Wiki Scientist. Wikipedia gets 500 million views a month, but less than 18% of the biographies on the site belong to women. This statistic came to light when Donna Strickland won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018, the first woman in 55 years to be awarded this top honor. Unfortunately, at the time of the announcement, Strickland did not have a biography on the Wikipedia site.

APS members can become pioneers in breaking barriers. Make sure that underrepresented groups in science are no longer living in the shadows while fulfilling the broader impact requirements of funding agencies by participating in the Wiki Scientist courses. Wikipedia experts will provide structured training and guidance as participants add marginalized populations in physics to Wikipedia. Wiki Education will facilitate collaborative work among participants, immersing them in the world behind Wikipedia.

Apply for a scholarship to take the course at no cost and become a leader in engaging members of the physics community to edit Wikipedia. Or, if your institution or grant can support you to enhance your skills for public outreach, a payment of $750 can be made to guarantee a spot on a first-come, first-serve basis (up to 5 seats available). Stay tuned to APS emails and social media accounts to learn more about becoming part of the group that changes the face of science. For more information about the course content, please visit wikiedu.org.