On July 15th I returned as ‘Witchfinder General’ – Data Visualisation Intern for another 3 months of working on the Map of Scottish Accused Witches of Project. We are now 4 weeks in and I have lots to share.

I went to my first ever conference – Wikimania! Wikimania is an annual conference hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, including presentations and discussions on Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons. This year it was held in Katowice, Poland. I went with my manager Ewan McAndrew to give a presentation on Student engagement with openness. Ewan spoke about examples of all the Wikimedia related student projects he has run at the University of Edinburgh and then I spoke about the work we have done on this project.

Find out more about our presentation here! 

Watch the presentation here. 

Before going, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the conference. In my mind, a conference seemed like a very formal event, which I thought might make me feel a bit out of place. However, as soon as I arrived, I found a relaxed and open atmosphere with a diverse group of people. From volunteers to software developers, people who work for the Wikimedia Foundation to those who edit Wikipedia in their free time, there was a wide range of interests, passions, careers, ages, and nationalities present. This diversity created a warm and accepting environment that made open discussion comfortable. I was initially apprehensive about my presentation, as public speaking is something that scares me a little, but that made the achievement feel even greater.

Along with giving the presentation I also got to attend lots of interesting talks and panel discussions. These covered lots of topics including the future of AI within the Wikipedia movement, facing the gender imbalance on Wikipedia, open data and the climate crisis, Wikipedia in education and even more. I think the standout for me was some of the AI discussions, thinking about how the Wikimedia movement could use AI but also the risks that would come along with them. Each session was really interesting and eye opening and great to hear views from people from all over the world. Throughout the conference I got to hear about all the different work that goes on in the Wikimedia movement.

Not only were there many interesting sessions, the conference also included lots of entertainment – an opening ceremony with a Polish marching band and awards for the standout Wikimedians presented by Jimmy Wales (the founder of Wikipedia), a pottery painting class where we got to paint our own mug. I really enjoyed this activity. It was a lovely calming moment in a busy conference. There was also a performance from a traditional Polish choir, and a closing ceremony with a performance from the Wiki Orchestra , a group of talented musicians from the Wikimedia community playing a beautiful piece by Chopin. Then to finish a closing party in the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra with Wikimedians mingling and dancing to celebrate the end of a successful 4 day conference full of collaboration, learning, and cultural exchange.

During my free time, I also explored Katowice. I visited the Silesian Museum (An old mine that had since been repurposed), walked around appreciating the city’s architecture, and tried local cuisine such as Polish dumplings (called pierogies). They were delicious! On my way back, I flew out of Krakow, so I got to see some of that city as well, taking a walk around the old town, visiting the castle, strolling along the river, and exploring the Jewish quarter. It was exciting being able to explore and learn about both these cities that I hadn’t visited before.

Now back in Edinburgh with lots of work to continue, I’m reflecting on what was an enriching experience for which I am very grateful. I’m proud to have presented at an international conference, which will definitely boost my confidence. It was inspiring to see the variety of work happening within the Wikimedia community, such as the resilience of the Ukrainian community during the ongoing war. The conference felt like a community that was excited to meet and learn from one another and I’m glad to have been part of it.

Wikimania 2024 Group Photo

(Krzysztof Popławski, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

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Wikimania 2024: A Conference of Collaboration, Learning and Culture / Witchfinder General - Data Visualisation Internship by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0