The Order of the Engineer

On Saturday, June 11th I took part in the Order of the Engineer Ceremony at OSU. I, along with many of my friends and collegues, recieved a steel ring symbolizing and took an oath declaring our dedication to the engineering profession. It was amazing to be among so many young and old engineers all who were declaring their passion and committment to the profession.

I first came across the Order of the Engineering Ceremony in my research for a paper on the "Quebec Bridge Collapse." I found the ceremony so fascinating and especially important for young engineers entering the profession that I knew I want to take part in one. So what did I do... I decided to organize one for OSU. It definitely took a lot of work, but with a lot of help from my friends and professors, the ceremony was a huge success.


Here is the 2005 Order of the Engineer Inductees at OSU

It was really an incredible site to see so many deans, professors and graduates turn out to publically display their dedication to the profession. However it was just as amazing to see the reaction of the families and friends of those partaking in the ceremony. All of that made organizing the ceremony worth it and I am proud to say that it will become a tradition at OSU and will now take place annually.

For those of you who don't know about the Order of the Engineer...here is a little history for you. The Order of the Engineer started from the Canadian Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer. The Ritual of the Calling began in 1922 when Canadian engineers wanted to install in young engineers the understanding of the importance and social significance of their profession. At the ceremony the inductees receive a steel ring, which was originally made from steel from a fallen structure, to be worn on the pinky finger of their writing hand. "The ring symbolizes the pride which engineers have in their profession, while simultaneously reminding them of their humility. The ring serves as a reminder to the engineer and others of the engineer's obligation to live by a high standard of professional conduct."


Here is a pictures of a few of my friends and fellow inductees ( Ae-young Lee, Grahme Williams, Javier Moncada).
We were showing off our recently recieved "Engineer Rings"