History

Teknovatøren was founded in 2010 by postgraduate candidate Christian Guttormsen. He established the first board of directors, consisting of five master students from the ESST and TIK programs. In 2011, Teknovatøren published what would be the first popular-scientific journal of science, innovation and technology studies at the University of Oslo. The magazine is supported by the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture (TIK), and is largely produced by the graduate students at the centre. The faculty is highly supportive of the publication and it has become a unifying link between students and faculty members.

Objective

Teknovatøren seeks to be a forum for Science, Technology and Innovation studies, and to increase public knowledge of these diverse fields of studies. Teknovatøren also acts as an important portal for students to exhibit and practice journalistic writing – a style of writing that is scarce in academia.

Furthermore, Teknovatøren seeks to be a social and academic unifier amongst the students, and to unite the field of studies both domestic and abroad.

Philosophy

Teknovatøren strives to be a front runner in the field of university publications. We believe in setting high standards for ourselves, with articles of high quality, a clear editorial line and first-rate graphics and lay-out, as well as an emphasis on innovation and creativity.

We are aware that all activities conducted in society are part of a giant equation. We therefore consider the environmental aspects of everything we do, from the paper we use in printing, to the recycling of packaging.

Practical aspects

Teknovatøren is published twice a year, and has a distribution of around 400 ex. It is primarily distributed at the University of Oslo, but we also distribute to the private sector, national research institutes and universities abroad. We continuously work on increasing the distribution, both on paper and online.

Support

The TIK administration has been very supportive of the project and is funding parts of the production. Former director of the TIK Centre, Jane Summerton, and professor Olav Wicken have been especially important in supporting the establishment of Teknovatøren.

As a result of the support and encouragement from all of the above, Teknovatøren was awarded the «Student Publication of the Year» prize in 2013 from the University of Oslo.