Thanks to Boston College senior Marie Pellissier, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has an informative, well-researched entry on a pioneering woman of the American West, Susan LaFlesche Picotte (1865-1915). For an assignment in Professor of History Marilynn Johnson’s course History of the American West, Pellissier introduced “Wiki” to Picotte, widely considered to be the first Native American woman to become a physician.  Pellissier hopes readers of the article “come away with a sense of just how extraordinary this woman was. I think one of the most interesting things about Picotte is the way she was able to have an impact on, and earn the respect of, both the Omaha nation and the community of whites living around their reservation in Walthill, Nebraska.” Added Johnson: “I’m delighted that Marie’s research has resulted in such a tangible and accessible contribution to historical knowledge on the web. Wikipedia is here to stay, so why not improve it? There are tons of entries on male explorers and military figures in the American West, but not nearly as many on women and Native Americans. Marie’s article gives us both.” Read more at Wiki Education Foundation.