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UOIT Engineering students take part in sacred Iron Ring ceremony

Canada’s Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer carries 95 years of tradition

A group of proud 2017 University of Ontario Institute of Technology engineers celebrate receiving their Iron Ring at a ceremony at the Regent Theatre (March 18, 2017).
A group of proud 2017 University of Ontario Institute of Technology engineers celebrate receiving their Iron Ring at a ceremony at the Regent Theatre (March 18, 2017).

For Canadian Engineering students, receiving the iron ring is both a cherished rite of passage and a symbol of the responsibilities and ethics associated with their chosen profession.

On March 18 more than 300 University of Ontario Institute of Technology Engineering student participated in The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, a ceremony that dates back to 1922 and is held at universities across Canada. During the event, future engineers receive an iron ring, which they wear on the little finger of their working hand. The ceremony reminds newly qualified engineers of their obligation to adhere to a high standard of professional conduct. It also gives experienced engineers a formal opportunity to welcome and support newer graduates as they enter the engineering community.

The university is part of Camp 1, the oldest of 26 branches of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens, the body that administers the ceremony across Canada. Camp 1 runs the ceremony for all Greater Toronto Area universities. 

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