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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.
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.

Gallery

From left: Electrical engineering students Sabrina Kader, Gracia Moke and Monica David.
From left: Rahma Mahmood (Electrical Engineering) with husband Zaid Nadeem (University of Waterloo graduate, now works at Apple Canada) and sister Sadia Pirzada (Nuclear Engineering graduate, now an Academic Advisor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science).
From left: Robert Mundy (Mechanical Engineering) with his Aunt Margaret Knudsen (Lakehead University graduate, now works at Rogers).
From left: David Hamidi (Mechanical Engineering) with his mother Shirin Javahermanesh (Hydro One).
From left: Steven Wilson (University of Waterloo Mechanical Engineering graduate, now works at Northern Cable) with Courtney Stafford (Nuclear Engineering).
From left: Diana McCormick (Mechanical Engineering) with her father Joseph Robert McCormick (University of Waterloo Mechanical Engineering graduate).
Family of engineers (from left): Brett Howard (Mechanical-Energy Engineering; his brother Scott Howard (McMaster University graduate who works at Kinectrics); his mother Sherry Howard (University of Ottawa graduate who works at OPG); and his father Keith Howard (Western University graduate who works at OPG).
Shahryar Rahnamayan, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (right), with his wife Arezou Pourmousavi.
Iron rings presented in the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer.
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