The ceremony is open only to candidates, those who have already undergone the ritual and at some sites, guests invited by candidates. The Iron Ring is a ring worn by many Canadian-trained engineers, as a symbol and reminder of the obligations and ethics associated with their profession. [1][2] The concept of the ritual and its Iron Rings originated from H. E. T. Haultain in 1922, with assistance from Rudyard Kipling, who crafted the ritual at Haultain's request. The iron ring ceremony is a simply that, a ceremony. [11] Efforts to secure control of the ritual were made in 1935, when the obligation was copyrighted, and the Corporation of the Seven Wardens formally incorporated in 1938.[11]. Students take an oath to uphold the social responsibilities that accompany becoming an engineer, and receive an iron ring to mark the occasion. 2 Objectives for Today ⢠A Little History ⢠Explain the Iron Ring Ceremony â Significance, meaning ⢠Provide information about logistics 3. Participation may also be permitted for Canadian professional engineers and registered engineers-in-training who received training elsewhere. During the construction of the Quebec Bridge in 1900, poor decisions led to the failure of the bridge ending the lives of 75 individuals. [8] This is particularly true of recently obligated engineers, whose rings bear sharp, unworn, facets. The text of the ceremony for the Ritual was created by the English poet Rudyard Kipling after a request by Professor H.E.T. It is organised into 27 regional branches, called camps, numbered by order of establishment. The wording of the obligation retains the original language, but should be viewed as it was originally intended, as explained above. Some camps offer previously obligated or "experienced" rings, but they are now rare due to medical and practical complications. [2][3] The seven past-presidents were the original seven Wardens of the Corporation. Vikings used a bullion economy, and they traded for goods and services in silver. However, most camps have decided to give rings made of stainless steel to avoid the deterioration of iron ⦠The ceremonies are private affairs with no publicity. The geoscientists also celebrate their professional fellowship, with the Earth Ring. [7] Iron Rings are awarded to engineers during the ritual, in reference to "[their] Honour and Cold Iron," a phrase used in the calling. Haultain, a civil engineering graduate from the University of Toronto proposed an ethical oath for the engineering profession to hold engineers accountable for work done. Based upon the success of the Iron Ring in Canada, a similar program was created in the United States, where the Order of the Engineer[12] was founded in 1970. The design acknowledged the significance of the ring ceremony and recognizesd the ring as linking the four major engineering achievements depicted on the stamps. Following the Obligation, the Iron Ring is placed on the little finger of the working hand,[2] and is worn by the engineer as a symbol and a reminder. The Rings were originally hammered manually with a rough outer surface. Itâs organized at UBC by Camp 5, a subsidiary of The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc, which administers the ceremonies nationally. The modern machined ring shares a similar design as a reminder of the manual process. The Iron Ring is a symbol of humility and continuity. The rings are given during the ceremony held at individual universities, each assigned one of 27 camps of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens. Kipling authored the obligation that is recited at the ceremony. Robertson, Consulting Engineer; and John Chalmers, Engineer for John Quinlan & Co., Contractors. [8] The myth persists that the initial batch of Iron Rings was made from the beams of the first Quebec Bridge, a bridge that collapsed during construction in 1907 due to poor planning and design by the overseeing engineers. Known as the Corporation of the Seven Wardens, the organization was named in honour of the first seven presidents of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineers. The Obligation, which is not an oath but a solemn expression of intention, is subscribed to at the ceremony. On 25 January 1922, Haultain proposed that engineers take an ethical oath. There are, of course, controversial issues and detractors from the Iron Ring and the obligation ceremony. [9] It is intended to be worn on the little finger of the working (dominant) hand. However, the ring is not a symbol of qualification as an engineer; engineering qualifications are determined by provincial and territorial licensing bodies. the Iron Ring dominate the minds of graduating engineers. 3 ⦠In this ceremony, the candidate takes an obligation to perform his or her duties as an engineer in ways that protect public safety and to uphold the honor of the profession. Invitations to attend are extended to local engineering alumni and professional engineers by those who are scheduled to participate. The Iron Ring is made from either iron or stainless steel. Presently, only Camp One of the Corporation in Toronto continues to confer rings made from iron; stainless steel rings are conferred at all other locations across Canada. [1][3], The ring symbolizes the pride which engineers have in their profession, while simultaneously reminding them of their humility. At the core of the â Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer â is an iron ring which is given to graduating engineers in a ceremony by taking an ethical oath. As originally conceived, the engineer's iron ring rubs against the drawings and paper upon which the Engineer writes and even in modern times, serves as a reminder when working on a computer. The Iron Ring originated from H. E. T. Haultain, a mining engineering professor at the University of Toronto. The Iron Ring ceremony is different for every school in Canada and is organised by one of twenty Camps of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens. [1] As part of the ritual each participant is conferred the Iron Ring. The ritual was created in 1922 by Rudyard Kipling at the request of Haultain, representing seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada. An inaugural ceremony was held in the evening of 25 April 1925, at the University Club of Montreal, when the obligation was taken by six engineers,[5] some of whom were involved with Kipling in its development. The Obligation essentially states the duties and responsibilities of the engineer. The Iron Ring is small and understated, and was designed as a constant reminder, rather than a piece of jewelry. [6], The text of the calling was written by English poet Rudyard Kipling, at the request of Haultain. Dalhousie Engineers Take an Oath of Honour in Iron Ring Ceremony Posted by Engineering Communications on March 11, 2019 in News Aayush Mashruwala, Andrew Salah, Mohamed Many, Shannon LeDrew (l-to-r) show off their Iron Rings following the 2019 Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer at Dalhousie. By a body called the ritual each participant is conferred the Iron ring, that you can call yourself professional. 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