Alaska glaciologist profiled in Wikibomb for Antarctic science

August 25, 2016

Photo courtesy of Erin Pettit. UAF scientist Erin Pettit visits the Rothera Research Station, a British Antarctic Survey base on Adelaide Island offshore of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The profile of a University of Alaska Fairbanks’s glaciologist exploded into Wikipedia on her birthday in the most unusual of ways — through a Wikibomb.

Erin Pettit’s profile as an Antarctic scientist was added to the world’s most famous digital encyclopedia on Aug. 23 along with more than 100 “cool” female scientists who have made significant contributions to Antarctic research.

A team of volunteers, led by Australian scientist Jan Strugnell and Wikipedia expert Thomas Shafee, created and updated the more than 100 referenced biographies to Wikipedia as part of the “Women in Antarctic Research” Wikibomb event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event is related to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research 2016 Open Science Conference.

SCAR organized the Wikibomb as a way to increase the visibility of these leading female scientists and encourage girls’ interest in science as a career.

“Role models play an important role in stimulating girls' interest in science and in their curiosity about the world in general,” Pettit said. “While many of us try to visit local classrooms or museums, that is still a limited population of kids who get to meet real women scientists."

According to Wikipedia, “Pettit's research is primarily focused on glacial dynamics and exploring the interactions within the ice-ocean-earth system. Pettit is a  National Geographic  Emerging Explorer who innovated applying acoustic research with hydrophones to calving and melting glaciers reaching the ocean, to examine ice shelf disintegration and the ice-ocean boundary. Her work has been recognized by numerous high-profile sources, including EARTH magazine and National Geographic, and she was invited to present a TEDWomen talk on her investigations focused on 'listening' to glaciers.”

Pettit was one of 170 people from 30 countries nominated after SCAR after inviting the scientific community to identify influential female Antarctic researchers and those involved in supporting research.

Screen Shot 2016-08-24 at 2.04.39 PM In addition to bringing attention to important female scientists, Pettit said, the Wikipedia entries also highlight an area of science that everybody needs to pay attention to.

“As for Antarctic science — a decade ago, most people didn't think about Antarctica much,” she said. “But the rate things are changing, we won't be able to avoid thinking about Antarctica in the future.”

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Erin Pettit, ecpettit@alaska.edu.
Jan Strugnell, j.strugnell@latrobe.edu.au.