Leonardo da Vinci Medal – Wiebe Bijker (2012)

Wiebe Bijker received the highest honor given by the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), as he was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Medal.

Professor Bijker was lauded for his outstanding contribution to the history of technology through research, teaching, publications and other activities. He garnered international acclaim for his research into the role of different social groups in the invention and development of the bicycle in the 19th century. His theory of social constructivism is still much-admired in the field to this day. The 1987 book The Social Construction of Technological Systems, which he co-authored with Thomas Hughes and Trevor Pinch, is on display in the museum of MIT, one of the most renowned technical universities in the United States. This book is considered one of the thirty most influential books ever published by MIT Press.

For more information, see UM’s press release and SHOT’s website.