User:Julia4327

Bio

About me

I am an Engineering student who enjoys applying what I learn to robotics projects, car modifications, and flight data collection on four foot model rockets. In my free time I hike, longboard, fish, and maintain a decent sized houseplant collection. One of my favorite plants, a Cissus Discolor, is also commonly referred to as a rex Begonia vine and is native to South East Asia.

My Wikipedia interests

I hope to add more resources and references to topics that may not be trafficked as often or as well known. I would also like to get better at recognizing bias in stem based articles or research and bring it to attention in order to diversify our understanding.

Article Evaluation

One of my most recent hobbies has been teaching myself how to mountainboard over different types of terrain on an MBS mountain board. As a complete beginner, the most logical course of action was to start familiarizing myself with all of the terms and various components of the board as well as the history behind the sport. I visited the mountainboarding article on Wikipedia, and found three aspects of it worth commenting on: its lack of citations, its inclusion of dead links, and the lack of other types of boards that have become common in the sport.

Citations

Overall, the article is lacking in citations for sections that explain the different components that comprise a board. These parts are all fundamental in understanding how a board rides and functions and there is not a single citation to back up the explanations behind each component. Much of the information looks like personal research and knowledge without any sources. The Historical Magazines section of this article also needs a lot of work. Although all of the magazines in this section have been retired or rebranded, none have a citation or link to show that they have ever existed which gives it a lack of credibility.

Dead Links

There are a good few links in this article that ultimately lead to nowhere and contribute nothing to the understanding of the sport. They no longer exist and should therefore just be removed or updated with new information that is more relevant to each specific section.

Electric Mountainboards

A recent evolution to the sport of mountainboarding has been the inclusion of electric boards that provide the rider with the ability to go farther than before and uphill rough terrain. In the article, they are mentioned but only in the future section which explains that it is primarily DIY riders who have built and own ones. The market for electric mountainboards has exploded over the last several years giving even novice riders the ability to learn and ride on one. Since many mountainboarders learn about and pick up the hobby form partaking in similar other board sports, the natural progression for someone may be to pick up an electric board. Elaborating more on the design and features of one in the equipment section may help introduce new and current riders to this alternative option.

Conclusion

As a beginner who was recently introduced to the sport, I found the article fairly helpful in understanding the basics of what it entails. However, the few citations sprinkled throughout makes many of the additions lack credibility. The inclusion of new types of board options such as electric boards would also introduce new riders to the various different styles of riding.