Maria Paula Diogo is Full Professor of History of Technology and Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Technology, New University of Lisbon (FCT/NOVA), Portugal, and member of the Centre for the History of Science and Technology (CIUHCT). She has pioneered the study of Portuguese engineering and engineers in the early 90s and is currently working on engineering and the Portuguese colonial agenda, as well as the role of technology in European history, particularly in peripheral countries. She publishes on a regular basis both nationally and internationally. She is a member of several societies and international research networks.   Dirk van Laak is Full Professor of Contemporary History at the History Department, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany. He has worked on German, European, colonial and global history, as well as the history of technology and intellectual history. He also pioneered the history of infrastructures, and most recently devoted himself to a cultural and everyday history of public works. He has published and (co)edited several books on a wide range of topics.