M. Norton Wise, distinguished research professor emeritus of history at UCLA who dedicated his career to constructing a new perspective on the history of science, was honored by the History of Science Society with the group’s highest honor, the Sarton Medal.
Wise was originally trained as an experimental nuclear physicist and spent the beginning of his career as an assistant professor of physics. After reading Thomas Kuhn’s “Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” which primarily focused on the influence of historical events and discoveries on scientific revolutions, Wise changed course.
Throughout his career, Wise specialized in the history of physics, especially the relationship between science and industrialization from the late 18th century to the present. He has written about the physics of energy in the 19th century, the political economy of work in the 18th century and on the use of narrative in contemporary physical chemistry. In 2004, Wise founded and became co-director of the UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics, bringing history, social science and biology together in one field.
The History of Science Society, which aims to understand science in historical contexts, recognized his commitment to emphasizing the importance of narratives in science in his work and his skills as an editor. Among the volumes Wise edited are “Values of Precision,” “Growing Explanations: Historical Perspectives on Recent Science” and “Science without Laws: Model Systems, Cases, Exemplary Narratives.” According to the medal citation, these demonstrate his contributions to changing the conceptualization of science.
Along with Wise’s many achievements, the medal also acknowledges his efforts in fostering communities within the discipline.
“Dozens of Wise’s students walk the halls of our conferences, teach the history of science to new generations and continue to enrich the field with their own research,” the citation said. “Each of them carries what might be called a ‘Nortonian’ stamp in their way of thinking, one that pushes for the highest intellectual and methodological standards.”
