GOLD is for the mistress, silver for the maid
Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade.
“Good!” said the Baron, sitting in his hall,
“But Iron, Cold Iron, is master of them all.”

-Rudyard Kipling

The Iron Ring symbolizes the pride which engineers have in their profession while reminding them of their own humility.  It is to be worn on the little finger of the working hand by an engineer who has been obligated at a ceremony of the Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer.

The Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer is the ceremony where the iron ring is given to a student graduating in Canada from an engineering program.  It is meant to be a symbol of the moral, ethical, and professional commitment made by engineers to the communities that they serve.  This ceremony is a closed event with the invitees being comprised of local engineering alumni and professional engineers from those scheduled to participate.  The details of the ceremony are not secret, but obligated engineers do not usually discuss the ceremony, even with students within engineering.  The first of these ceremonies was held in 1925 in Toronto.

For information on the Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer for this year, contact gradcouncil@ubcoengineers.com.