Annual report (2019–2020)

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This report describes the activities of Wikimedia District of Columbia during Fiscal Year 2019–20, covering the period from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020.

Programs

During the 2019–20 fiscal year, Wikimedia DC program activity focused in two principal program areas: institutional partnership and leadership development and support.

Institutional Partnership

Consistent with past program results, collaborative editing events, such as edit-a-thons and editing workshops, comprised the bulk of our institutional partnership program activity. Over the course of the fiscal year, Wikimedia DC supported a total of 41 events in partnership with 23 institutional partners, which included a broad spectrum of cultural, academic, and government institutions, non-governmental organizations, and other groups:

• Alexandria Public Library
• American Archive of Public Broadcasting
• American Folklife Center
• Arlington Public Library
• Boston University Libraries
• Charles Sumner School
• Council on Foreign Relations
• Embassy of the Republic of Poland
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
• Library of Congress
• Mastercard
• National Academy of Sciences
• National Agricultural Library
• National Air and Space Museum
• National Anthropological Archives
• National Gallery of Art
• National Museum of American History
• National Museum of Women in the Arts
• Old Dominion University
• Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Smithsonian Institution
• University of Maryland
• World Health Organization

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wikimedia DC transitioned institutional partnership activities to a virtual event model in March 2020, and all remaining events through the end of the fiscal year were held virtually.

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  The Ada Lovelace Day edit-a-thon in progress at the National Air and Space Museum

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  Wikimedia DC board members Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight and Kelly Doyle speak at the Ada Lovelace Day edit-a-thon

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  Edit-a-thon in progress at the National Academy of Sciences

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  Wikimedia DC and Wikimedia NYC board members and volunteers at the National Academy of Sciences

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  Edit-a-thon in progress at the American Folklife Center

Leadership Development and Support

Wikimedia DC organized the 2019 Wiki Science Competition in the United States. The competition received a total of 1,144 submissions, including 359 general images, 333 images of wildlife, 76 images of people in science, 161 microscopy images, 59 non-photographic submissions, and 156 images as part of sets. The jury selected six winners in each category to represent the United States at the international level; of the 28 awardees, only 5 had previous contributions to Wikimedia Commons. In addition, the jury recognized eight submissions with "Jury's Choice" awards:

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  See the light, the individual crests and troughs of the electromagnetic wave that constitutes a laser beam, by Jeremy J. Axelrod

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  Earthworm head, a micrograph of a newly hatched European nightcrawler, by Cecil J. Saunders and colleagues

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  MRI self portrait, the subject's MRI images incorporated into a picture of his head, by Tomas Diaz

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  Baffled LIGO scientists, two researchers at LIGO Hanford's Pre-Stabilized Laser enclosure baffled by the low amount of light coupling into the new fiber coupler they just installed, by Nutsinee Kijbunchoo

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  Lidar point cloud of San Francisco intersection, an orthographic projection of a registered point cloud captured using lidar mounted on a moving car, by Daniel L. Lu

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  Killer whales hunting a seal, four killer whales swimming in close synchronization to create a strong bow wave to wash the crabeater seal off the ice floe, by Callan Carpenter

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  Jupiter's south polar region, a composite image made from individual images taken by the Juno spacecraft, by Michael S. Adler

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  B mode in microwave sky, Milky Way dust emission converted into a polarization pattern of B-modes, by Uros Seljak

Organizational development

Wikimedia DC awarded its 2020 Distinguished Service Award to Ryn Marchese and Connie Moon Sehat for their exemplary contributions to the advancement of public knowledge and the collection, development, and dissemination of educational content. Ryn and Connie were instrumental in enabling the chapter to collaborate with two key institutional partners – the American Archive of Public Broadcasting and the World Health Organization – by organizing program activities and acting as advocates for our institutional partnership model. Throughout their work, Ryn and Connie consistently demonstrated an incredible commitment to the Wikimedia vision, and provided incredible support not only for the chapter's collaboration with specific partners, but also for the ongoing evolution of the Wikimedia DC institutional partnership program portfolio.

Wikimedia DC awarded its 2020 Volunteer of the Year Award to Laura Soito for her dedication to the advancement of public knowledge and the collection, development, and dissemination of educational content. A veteran Wikimedia volunteer, Laura repeatedly stepped up to provide support for numerous Wikimedia DC programs – including the Wiki Science Competition, Wiki Loves Monuments, and WikiConference North America – and consistently demonstrated incredible enthusiasm, focus, and dedication to our mission while working closely with Wikimedia DC board members and volunteers.

The Wikimedia DC Board of Directors held 5 meetings during the 2019–20 fiscal year, on November 11, 2019; December 7, 2019; May 23, 2020; June 27, 2020; and August 30, 2020.