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{{Short description|New Zealand Wikipedian, zoologist, and museum curator}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Mike Dickison
| name = Mike Dickison
| image = Mike Dickison Auckland Museum 2.jpg
| image = Mike Dickison Auckland Museum 2.jpg
| alt = Portrait photograph of a bearded man wearing a brown corduroy sport jacket, blue shirt, and brown tie with red, yellow, and blue stripes. The photo is framed from the upper chest to just before the edge of either shoulder with blurred files in the background, creating a pleasing boke effect.
| alt = Portrait photograph of a bearded man wearing a brown corduroy sport jacket, blue shirt, and brown tie with red, yellow, and blue stripes. The photo is framed from the upper chest to just before the edge of either shoulder with blurred files in the background, creating a pleasing boke effect.
| caption = Dickison in the [[Auckland Museum]] in 2018
| caption = Dickison in 2018
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date | 49 | 2018 | November | 16 | noage=1}}<ref name="NYTSatProfile20181116" /><!-- {{Birth date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per [[WP:DOB]]. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}}. -->
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|df=yes|49|2018|11|16}}<ref name="NYTSatProfile20181116" /><!-- {{Birth date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per [[WP:DOB]]. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}}. -->
| birth_place = [[Christchurch]], [[New Zealand]]
| birth_place = [[Christchurch]], New Zealand
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) -->
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) -->
| death_place =
| death_place =
| nationality = New Zealand
| other_names =
⚫
| occupation = [[Museum curator]], [[zoology|zoologist]], [[Wikipedian at Large]]
| other_names =
| years_active =
⚫
| occupation = [[Museum curator]], [[zoology|zoologist]], [[Wikipedian at Large]]
| years_active =
| known_for =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| notable_works =
| website =
⚫
| module = {{Infobox scientist |embed=yes
| website = [https://www.giantflightlessbirds.com GiantFlightlessBirds.com]
⚫
| module = {{Infobox scientist |embed=yes
| alma_mater = [[Duke University]]
| alma_mater = [[Duke University]]
| thesis_title = The allometry of giant flightless birds
| thesis_title = The allometry of giant flightless birds
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}}
}}
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}}
'''Michael R. Dickison'''<ref name=thesis/> is a New Zealand museum [[curator]], [[zoology|zoologist]] and [[Wikipedia]] editor. He was New Zealand's first [[Wikipedian at Large]], in 2018–19, receiving a grant from the [[Wikimedia Foundation]].
'''Michael R. Dickison'''<ref name=thesis/> (born {{birth based on age as of date|df=yes|49|2018|11|16|noage=1}}) is a New Zealand museum [[curator]], [[zoology|zoologist]] and [[Wikipedia]] editor. He was New Zealand's first [[Wikipedian at Large]], in 2018–19, receiving a grant from the [[Wikimedia Foundation]].


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Dickison grew up in [[Christchurch]]. His father was an apprentice [[boilermaker]], and his mother was a [[homemaker]].<ref name="NYTSatProfile20181116">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/world/australia/new-zealand-wikipedia-saturday-profile.html|title=From Encyclopedic Collector to ‘Wikipedian-at-Large’|last=Graham-McLay|first=Charlotte|date=16 November 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=18 November 2018|language=en|df=dmy-all}}</ref> His father encouraged his interest in curating and [[collecting]].<ref name="NYTSatProfile20181116" />
Dickison grew up in [[Christchurch]]. His father was an apprentice [[boilermaker]], and his mother was a [[homemaker]].<ref name="NYTSatProfile20181116">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/world/australia/new-zealand-wikipedia-saturday-profile.html|title=From Encyclopedic Collector to 'Wikipedian-at-Large'|last=Graham-McLay|first=Charlotte|date=16 November 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=18 November 2018|language=en}}</ref> His father encouraged his interest in curating and [[collecting]].<ref name="NYTSatProfile20181116" />


Dickison gained a [[PhD]] in [[zoology]] from [[Duke University]] in 2007. His [[thesis|dissertation]] subject was the [[allometry]] of giant [[flightless bird]]s.<ref name=thesis>{{cite web |url= https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/handle/10161/200 |title=The Allometry of Giant Flightless Birds |first=Michael R. |last=Dickison |date=2007 |work=Duke Dissertations |publisher=Duke University |accessdate=25 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="Noted20180918">{{Cite web|url=https://www.noted.co.nz/tech/nzs-first-wikipedian-at-large-mike-dickison/|title=Mr Wiki: Mike Dickison is NZ's first Wikipedian at large |last=Easther |first=Elizabeth|date=18 September 2018|publisher=[[Noted]]|work=[[North & South (New Zealand magazine)|North & South]] |language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=19 October 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Stuff20181020">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/107843619/National-Portrait-Mike-Dickison-conservationist-and-Wikipedian.html |title=National Portrait: Mike Dickison, conservationist and Wikipedian|last=Macdonald |first=Nikki|date=20 October 2018|work=[[Stuff (company)|Stuff]]|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date= 19 October 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Dickison gained a [[PhD]] in [[zoology]] from [[Duke University]] in 2007. His [[thesis|dissertation]] subject was the [[allometry]] of giant [[flightless bird]]s.<ref name=thesis>{{cite journal |url= https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/handle/10161/200 |title=The Allometry of Giant Flightless Birds |first=Michael R. |last=Dickison |date=2007 |journal=Duke Dissertations |publisher=Duke University |access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="Noted20180918">{{Cite web|url=https://www.noted.co.nz/tech/nzs-first-wikipedian-at-large-mike-dickison/|title=Mr Wiki: Mike Dickison is NZ's first Wikipedian at large|last=Easther|first=Elizabeth|date=18 September 2018|publisher=[[Noted]]|work=[[North & South (New Zealand magazine)|North & South]]|language=en|access-date=19 October 2018|archive-date=20 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020053036/https://www.noted.co.nz/tech/nzs-first-wikipedian-at-large-mike-dickison/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Stuff20181020">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/107843619/National-Portrait-Mike-Dickison-conservationist-and-Wikipedian.html |title=National Portrait: Mike Dickison, conservationist and Wikipedian|last=Macdonald |first=Nikki|date=20 October 2018|work=[[Stuff (company)|Stuff]]|language=en|access-date= 19 October 2018}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==
He was [[curator]] of [[natural history]] at the [[Whanganui Regional Museum]] from 2013 to 2018.<ref name="AM20180725">{{Cite web|url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/stories/blog/2018/wikipedian-in-residence-mike-dickison |title=Wikipedian in Residence: Mike Dickison|last=|first=|date=25 July 2018|publisher=[[Auckland Museum]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="NZH20180522">{{Cite news|url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/internet/news/article.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=12055552 |title=Mike Dickison gets grant to become travelling Wikipedian |last=Wilson |first=Zaryd|date=22 May 2018|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=20 October 2018 |language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Dickison was [[curator]] of [[natural history]] at the [[Whanganui Regional Museum]] from 2013 to 2018.<ref name="AM20180725">{{Cite web|url=http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/stories/blog/2018/wikipedian-in-residence-mike-dickison |title=Wikipedian in Residence: Mike Dickison|date=25 July 2018|publisher=[[Auckland Museum]]}}</ref><ref name="NZH20180522">{{Cite news|url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/internet/news/article.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=12055552 |title=Mike Dickison gets grant to become travelling Wikipedian |last=Wilson |first=Zaryd|date=22 May 2018|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=20 October 2018 |language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}</ref> In 2015, he led an effort to mount the museum's collection of more than 2000 bones and 10 articulated moa skeletons.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Frances|first=Helen|date=January 2015|title=The Bone People|page=28|work=North & South|publisher=Australian Consolidated Press|issue=January 2015}}</ref>


He became interested in [[Wikipedia]] in 2009.<ref name="AM20180725" /> In 2012, he created a community group "Whanganui Wiki Wednesday" which met once a month to edit local pages on Wikipedia. He then began to run Wikipedia workshops around New Zealand.<ref name="Noted20180918" />
He became interested in [[Wikipedia]] in 2009.<ref name="AM20180725" /> In 2012, he created a community group "Whanganui Wiki Wednesday" which met once a month to edit local pages on Wikipedia. He then started running Wikipedia workshops around New Zealand.<ref name="Noted20180918" />


He has advocated for [[museum]]s to engage with Wikipedia to get their [[museum collection|collections]] accessible to the public.<ref name="Newsroom20180216">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@environment/2018/02/15/89103/new-zealands-own-wikipedian-at-large|title=New Zealand's own Wikipedian-at-large|last=Hancock|first=Farah|date=16 February 2018|work=[[Newsroom (website)|Newsroom]]|access-date=20 October 2018|language=en-AU|df=dmy-all}}</ref> He argues that Wikipedia can also be a powerful tool for governments to share information and doing [[public outreach]], citing the example of [[kauri dieback]].<ref name="Newsroom20180216" />
He has advocated for [[museum]]s to engage with Wikipedia to get their [[museum collection|collections]] accessible to the public.<ref name="Newsroom20180216">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@environment/2018/02/15/89103/new-zealands-own-wikipedian-at-large|title=New Zealand's own Wikipedian-at-large|last=Hancock|first=Farah|date=16 February 2018|work=[[Newsroom (website)|Newsroom]]|access-date=20 October 2018|language=en-AU}}</ref> He argues that Wikipedia can also be a powerful tool for governments to share information and doing [[public outreach]], citing the example of [[kauri dieback]].<ref name="Newsroom20180216" />


In 2019, Dickison was a judge for the [[2019 Voyager Media Awards|Voyager Media Awards]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://voyagermediaawards.nz/judges2019|title=Judges 2019|website=Voyager Media Awards|language=en-NZ|access-date=2019-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517073534/https://voyagermediaawards.nz/judges2019|archive-date=17 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2019, Dickison was a judge for the [[2019 Voyager Media Awards|Voyager Media Awards]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://voyagermediaawards.nz/judges2019|title=Judges 2019|website=Voyager Media Awards|language=en-NZ|access-date=2019-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517073534/https://voyagermediaawards.nz/judges2019|archive-date=17 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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=== Wikipedian at Large 2018 ===
=== Wikipedian at Large 2018 ===
[[File:Auckland 8 Meetup All.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Dickison (front, left) leading a Wikipedia [[edit-a-thon]] at [[Auckland Museum]], July 2018.]]
[[File:Auckland 8 Meetup All.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Dickison (front, left) leading a Wikipedia [[edit-a-thon]] at [[Auckland Museum]], July 2018.]]
In 2018, he received a $61,000 grant from the [[Wikimedia Foundation]] to become New Zealand's first [[Wikipedia:GLAM/New Zealand Wikipedian at Large|Wikipedian-at-Large]].<ref name="Noted20180918" /> The grant pays his salary, travel costs, and conference registration fees.<ref name="NZH20180522" /> He aims to address the gaps in New Zealand-related content on Wikipedia, such as the lack of articles on [[Māori people|Māori]] and [[women]].<ref name="AM20180725" /> He is also hoping to attract more women editors to Wikipedia to address the [[gender bias]] of article topics.<ref name="Stuff20181020" /> As of 2018, he was travelling around New Zealand in his [[4WD]], which acts as a [[mobile office]] and entomology [[field station]].<ref name="Noted20180918" />
In 2018, Dickison received a $61,000 grant from the [[Wikimedia Foundation]] to become New Zealand's first [[Wikipedia:GLAM/New Zealand Wikipedian at Large|Wikipedian-at-Large]].<ref name="Noted20180918" /> The grant paid his salary, travel costs, and conference registration fees.<ref name="NZH20180522" /> The aim of the project was to address the gaps in New Zealand-related content on Wikipedia, such as the lack of articles on [[Māori people|Māori]] and [[women]].<ref name="AM20180725" /> He also hoped to attract more female editors to Wikipedia to address the [[gender bias]] of article topics.<ref name="Stuff20181020" /> During 2018, he travelled around New Zealand in his [[4WD]], which acted as a [[mobile office]] and entomology [[field station]].<ref name="Noted20180918" />


In July 2018, his first stop was [[Auckland Museum]].<ref name="AM20180725" /> He went on to extended [[Wikipedia:GLAM/New Zealand Wikipedian at Large/Past|working stops, presentations and events]] at multiple institutions, in 16 different towns and cities across New Zealand, working with staff and the public. He recorded [[Māori language]] pronunciations to add to Wikipedia articles,<ref name="Stuff20181020" /> and called for locals to share their stories.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=12135077|title=Wikipedia wants to hear your Northland stories|date=2 October 2018|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=20 October 2018|language=en-NZ |issn=1170-0777|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
In July 2018, his first stop was [[Auckland Museum]].<ref name="AM20180725" /> He went on to extended [[Wikipedia:GLAM/New Zealand Wikipedian at Large/Past|working stops, presentations and events]] at multiple institutions, in 16 different towns and cities across New Zealand, working with staff and the public. He recorded [[Māori language]] pronunciations to add to Wikipedia articles,<ref name="Stuff20181020" /> and called for locals to share their stories.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=12135077|title=Wikipedia wants to hear your Northland stories|date=2 October 2018|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=20 October 2018|language=en-NZ |issn=1170-0777}}</ref>


== ''Critter of the Week'' ==
== ''Critter of the Week'' ==
Mike presented about the ''[[Critter of the Week]]'' radio program in [[Bali, Indonesia]] at ''[[:meta:ESEAP Conference 2018|ESEAP 2018]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/ESEAP_Conference_2018/Program/Wikipedia_in_Science|title=Wikipedia in Science |last=|first= |date=|website=[[:meta:ESEAP Conference 2018|ESEAP Conference 2018]]|publisher=[[Wikimedia Foundation]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=11 November 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> An updated presentation was given at the [[Wikimedia Australia]] [[Melbourne]] [[meetup]] in November 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Meetup/Melbourne/37&oldid=868012349|title=Melbourne Meetup 37|last=|first=|date=11 November 2018|work= [[Wikipedia:Meetup/Melbourne|Wikipedia: Melbourne Meetup]]|publisher=[[Wikipedia]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|df=dmy-all}}</ref> ''Critter of the Week'' was discussed as an example of a museum [[outreach]] at the 2018 [[Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections|SPNHC]] conference in [[Dunedin]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dickison|first=Mike|date=15 June 2018|title="Critter of the Week": Wikipedia as a Museum Outreach Tool|url=https://biss.pensoft.net/article/25798/|journal=Biodiversity Information Science and Standards|volume=2|pages=e25798|doi=10.3897/biss.2.25798|via=|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Dickison presented about the ''[[Critter of the Week]]'' radio programme in [[Bali, Indonesia]] at ''[[:meta:ESEAP Conference 2018|ESEAP 2018]].''<ref>[[:meta:ESEAP Conference 2018|ESEAP Conference 2018|Wikipedia in Science]]{{Circular reference|date=May 2024}}</ref> An updated presentation was given at the [[Wikimedia Australia]] [[Melbourne]] [[meetup]] in November 2018. ''Critter of the Week'' was discussed as an example of a museum [[outreach]] at the 2018 [[Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections|SPNHC]] conference in [[Dunedin]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dickison|first=Mike|date=15 June 2018|title="Critter of the Week": Wikipedia as a Museum Outreach Tool|url=https://biss.pensoft.net/article/25798/|journal=Biodiversity Information Science and Standards|volume=2|pages=e25798|doi=10.3897/biss.2.25798|doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
His favourite [[dinosaur]] is the [[styracosaurus]].<ref name="Stuff20181020" />


==See also==
==See also==
* [[List of Wikipedia people]]
* [[List of Wikipedia people]]

== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


===Further reading===
===Further reading===
* {{cite news|last=Tohill |first=Mary-Jo |date=9 July 2014 |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/10248028/Expert-supports-Moa-revival-idea |title=Expert supports Moa revival idea |work=[[Southland Times]]}}
{{commons category|Mike Dickison}}
* {{cite news|last=Tohill |first=Mary-Jo |date=9 July 2014 |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/10248028/Expert-supports-Moa-revival-idea |title=Expert supports Moa revival idea |work=[[Southland Times]] |df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite news|last=Downes |first=Siobhan |date=16 April 2013 |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/8554047/Knitting-stereotype-unravelled |title=Knitting stereotype unravelled |work=[[Hutt News]]}}
* {{cite news|last=Downes |first=Siobhan |date=16 April 2013 |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/8554047/Knitting-stereotype-unravelled |title=Knitting stereotype unravelled |work=[[Hutt News]] |df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite news|last=White |first=Rebekah |date=Nov–Dec 2018 |url= https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/common-knowledge/ |title=Common knowledge |work=[[New Zealand Geographic]]}}
* {{cite news|last=White |first=Rebekah |date=Nov–Dec 2018 |url= https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/common-knowledge/ |title=Common knowledge |work=[[New Zealand Geographic]] |df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite news| url= https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/259424/call-to-end-moa-bone-sales-on-trade-me |title=Call to end moa bone sales on Trade Me |work=[[Radio NZ]] |date=15 November 2014}}
* {{cite news| url= https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/259424/call-to-end-moa-bone-sales-on-trade-me |title=Call to end moa bone sales on Trade Me |work=[[Radio NZ]] |date=15 November 2014 |df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite news|last=Wilson |first=Zaryd |date=23 January 2015 |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503426&objectid=11390649 |title=Moa bones off site in push to ban sales |work=[[Wanganui Chronicle]]}}
* {{cite news|last=Wilson |first=Zaryd |date=23 January 2015 |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503426&objectid=11390649 |title=Moa bones off site in push to ban sales |work=[[Wanganui Chronicle]] |df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite news|last=D'Ville |first=Jim |date=14 December 2009 |url= http://www.playukulelebyear.com/3-questions-interview/3-questions-with-mike-dickison/ |title=3 Questions interview: Mike Dickison |work=Play Ukulele by Ear}}
* {{cite news|last=D'Ville |first=Jim |date=14 December 2009 |url= http://www.playukulelebyear.com/3-questions-interview/3-questions-with-mike-dickison/ |title=3 Questions interview: Mike Dickison |work=Play Ukulele by Ear |df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite news|last=Gilchrist |first=Shane |date=25 April 2009 |url= https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/strumming-heartstrings |title=Strumming the Heartstrings |work=[[Otago Daily Times]]}}
* {{cite news|last=Gilchrist |first=Shane |date=25 April 2009 |url= https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/strumming-heartstrings |title=Strumming the Heartstrings |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite news|last=Wood |first=Al |date=30 July 2008 |url= http://ukulelehunt.com/2008/07/30/kiwi-ukulele/ |title=Kiwi Ukulele: the New Zealand Ukulele Companion |work=Ukulele Hunt}}
* {{cite news|last=Wood |first=Al |date=30 July 2008 |url= http://ukulelehunt.com/2008/07/30/kiwi-ukulele/ |title=Kiwi Ukulele: the New Zealand Ukulele Companion |work=Ukulele Hunt |df=dmy-all}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{Official website}}
*[https://www.giantflightlessbirds.com GiantFlightlessBirds.com]
{{Scholia}}

{{commons}}
{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}


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[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:People from Christchurch]]
[[Category:People from Christchurch]]
[[Category:Entomologists]]
[[Category:New Zealand entomologists]]
[[Category:New Zealand scientists]]
[[Category:Wikipedia people]]
[[Category:Wikipedia people]]
[[Category:Duke University alumni]]
[[Category:Duke University alumni]]
[[Category:Wikimedians]]
[[Category:New Zealand Wikimedians]]

Latest revision as of 23:07, 2 July 2024

Mike Dickison
Portrait photograph of a bearded man wearing a brown corduroy sport jacket, blue shirt, and brown tie with red, yellow, and blue stripes. The photo is framed from the upper chest to just before the edge of either shoulder with blurred files in the background, creating a pleasing boke effect.
Dickison in 2018
Born1968 or 1969 (age 55–56)[1]
Christchurch, New Zealand
Occupation(s)Museum curator, zoologist, Wikipedian at Large
Alma materDuke University
Scientific career
ThesisThe allometry of giant flightless birds (2007)
Doctoral advisorLouise Roth

Michael R. Dickison[2] (born 1968 or 1969) is a New Zealand museum curator, zoologist and Wikipedia editor. He was New Zealand's first Wikipedian at Large, in 2018–19, receiving a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation.

Early life

[edit]

Dickison grew up in Christchurch. His father was an apprentice boilermaker, and his mother was a homemaker.[1] His father encouraged his interest in curating and collecting.[1]

Dickison gained a PhD in zoology from Duke University in 2007. His dissertation subject was the allometry of giant flightless birds.[2][3][4]

Career

[edit]

Dickison was curator of natural history at the Whanganui Regional Museum from 2013 to 2018.[5][6] In 2015, he led an effort to mount the museum's collection of more than 2000 bones and 10 articulated moa skeletons.[7]

He became interested in Wikipedia in 2009.[5] In 2012, he created a community group "Whanganui Wiki Wednesday" which met once a month to edit local pages on Wikipedia. He then started running Wikipedia workshops around New Zealand.[3]

He has advocated for museums to engage with Wikipedia to get their collections accessible to the public.[8] He argues that Wikipedia can also be a powerful tool for governments to share information and doing public outreach, citing the example of kauri dieback.[8]

In 2019, Dickison was a judge for the Voyager Media Awards.[9]

Wikipedian at Large 2018

[edit]
Dickison (front, left) leading a Wikipedia edit-a-thon at Auckland Museum, July 2018.

In 2018, Dickison received a $61,000 grant from the Wikimedia Foundation to become New Zealand's first Wikipedian-at-Large.[3] The grant paid his salary, travel costs, and conference registration fees.[6] The aim of the project was to address the gaps in New Zealand-related content on Wikipedia, such as the lack of articles on Māori and women.[5] He also hoped to attract more female editors to Wikipedia to address the gender bias of article topics.[4] During 2018, he travelled around New Zealand in his 4WD, which acted as a mobile office and entomology field station.[3]

In July 2018, his first stop was Auckland Museum.[5] He went on to extended working stops, presentations and events at multiple institutions, in 16 different towns and cities across New Zealand, working with staff and the public. He recorded Māori language pronunciations to add to Wikipedia articles,[4] and called for locals to share their stories.[10]

Critter of the Week

[edit]

Dickison presented about the Critter of the Week radio programme in Bali, Indonesia at ESEAP 2018.[11] An updated presentation was given at the Wikimedia Australia Melbourne meetup in November 2018. Critter of the Week was discussed as an example of a museum outreach at the 2018 SPNHC conference in Dunedin.[12]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Graham-McLay, Charlotte (16 November 2018). "From Encyclopedic Collector to 'Wikipedian-at-Large'". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b Dickison, Michael R. (2007). "The Allometry of Giant Flightless Birds". Duke Dissertations. Duke University. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Easther, Elizabeth (18 September 2018). "Mr Wiki: Mike Dickison is NZ's first Wikipedian at large". North & South. Noted. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Macdonald, Nikki (20 October 2018). "National Portrait: Mike Dickison, conservationist and Wikipedian". Stuff. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "Wikipedian in Residence: Mike Dickison". Auckland Museum. 25 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b Wilson, Zaryd (22 May 2018). "Mike Dickison gets grant to become travelling Wikipedian". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  7. ^ Frances, Helen (January 2015). "The Bone People". North & South. No. January 2015. Australian Consolidated Press. p. 28.
  8. ^ a b Hancock, Farah (16 February 2018). "New Zealand's own Wikipedian-at-large". Newsroom. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Judges 2019". Voyager Media Awards. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Wikipedia wants to hear your Northland stories". The New Zealand Herald. 2 October 2018. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  11. ^ ESEAP Conference 2018|Wikipedia in Science[circular reference]
  12. ^ Dickison, Mike (15 June 2018). ""Critter of the Week": Wikipedia as a Museum Outreach Tool". Biodiversity Information Science and Standards. 2: e25798. doi:10.3897/biss.2.25798.

Further reading

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Scholia has a profile for Mike Dickison (Q56458901).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mike Dickison.
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