We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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Engineering’s sacred Iron Ring Ceremony a symbolic rite of passage

March 20, 2018

Selenne Verastegui (Mechanical Engineering) (left) and Radu Giurca (Automotive Engineering) were among more than 300 Engineering students who received their Iron Rings during a March 17 ceremony at the university's Regent Theatre.

It is a ceremony steeped in nearly a century of tradition across Canada.

In the academic journey of a young engineer, nothing surpasses the pivotal moment of participating in The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer. For Canadian engineering students, receiving the iron ring is a cherished rite of passage, and a symbol of the responsibilities and ethics associated with their chosen profession.

On March 17 at the Regent Theatre, more than 300 future engineers at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology received an iron ring to be worn on the end finger of their working hand. The university is part of ‘Camp 1’, the oldest of 26 branches of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens. It’s the body that administers the ceremony across Canada and runs the Iron Ring Ceremony for all Greater Toronto Area universities.

Held at universities across Canada since 1922, the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer 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.