Conclusion
Representation matters. Learning about these stories matters. Gaps in our shared knowledge excludes the vitally important contributions of many within our community. Universities can help remove barriers and kick open more doors. They have access to knowledge and information and, with that, an ethical responsibility to share that knowledge for the greater good. These edit-a-thons, or ‘diversithons’, are one way to start nudging the door open.
Diversity matters because gender inequality in science and technology is all too real (Women in STEM | Percentages of Women in STEM Statistics, 2021). Increasing the visibility and diversity of topics and inspirational role models online can not only encourage more into STEM careers but also help inform and shape our physical environments to be more inclusive spaces.
Meanings are projected not just by the buildings themselves, but by how they are furnished and decorated. And where almost every image—portrait, photograph, statue—of academic achievement and leadership is masculine (and nearly always white middle-aged), the meaning is clear: to be a successful leader, gender and ethnicity matter. (Spiller & Moffat, 2017)
The Edinburgh Seven have now finally been awarded their degrees posthumously at a special ceremony (Edinburgh gives female medical students their degrees—150 years late, 2019). A blue plaque was erected, marking the Seven’s rightful place in history. It’s impossible to know exactly how many people have walked past it, or stopped to read it. But we know their Wikipedia pages are being found, with over 78,000 page views for Sophia Jex-Blake’s page and 52,000 page views for the Edinburgh Seven page.
While there is no known image of all seven women together, a new portrait by photographer Laurence Winram (figure 4) has been commissioned by the University of Edinburgh’s Medical School, which now hangs in its Sophia Jex-Blake common room, to commemorate them. The new portrait draws inspiration also from the present-day students featured in the portrait, who collected the posthumous
