Joseph,
Congratulations on earning your professional engineering license! As your next step in the profession I would recommend taking the oath to the Order of the Engineer. This would be more for personal reasons and secondly for public recognition. I have worn my Order of the Engineer ring daily over the years and it is a constant reminder to me of my responsibilities to the engineering profession and to the general public that I serve. My reasoning for this is in the following paragraphs that the Order of the Engineer is based.
The origins:
A History of the Order of the Engineer Engineering is more than number crunching. It is a matter of life and death. In 1907, when engineering errors led to a Canadian bridge collapse that killed seventy-five men, the profession's moral obligations were stark and obvious. Engineers increasingly realized that technical expertise was not enough, and in 1925, a group of Canadian engineers formally and publicly promised to uphold the highest ethical standards. To remind themselves of their pledge, they fashioned iron rings to be worn on the outer finger. Unfortunately, for decades engineers in the United States had no similar institution. Then, on a summer day in 1970, 170 engineers, students, and teachers met on the campus of Cleveland State University for the first ceremony of what would become the Order of the Engineer. Today, the stainless steel rings worn by the Order's members are recognized throughout the world as the outward sign of an inward commitment to ethical engineering. This is the story of the Order's origins and expansion.
Today:
The "Order of the Engineer" is a fellowship of engineers who are trained in science and technology and dedicated to the practice, teaching or administration of their profession.
Initiation into the Order includes commitment to the "Obligation" and acceptance of a stainless steel ring to be worn on the little finger of the working hand. Only those who have met the high standards of professional engineering training or experience are invited to accept the Obligation, which is voluntarily received for life. This commitment is not a trivial act but is, rather, like the wedding of the engineer with his profession. The ring is worn as a visible symbol to attest to the wearer's calling and symbolizes the unity of the profession in its goal of benefiting mankind. The stainless steel from which the ring is made depicts the strength of the profession.
The Order was originated by several members of the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers who were inspired by The Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer, a Canadian organization whose adherents wear an iron ring. The first ceremony of the Order was with the Fenn College of Engineering at Cleveland State University on June 4, 1970. Next year will be the 50 year anniversary celebration of The Order of the Engineer at Cleveland State University.
Hope this helps provide another perspective on The Order of the Engineer membership.
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Joseph Yurko, PE, FAIChE
Past Chair Cleveland Section
Associate Project Lead
Xellia Pharmaceuticals USA, LLC
Cleveland, OH, USA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2019 00:26
From: Stephen Thiel
Subject: The Order of the Engineer
Joseph,
First, congratulations on earning your license!
I don't know that taking the oath to join the Order of the Engineer is a big resume-builder; I think having the licence is a much bigger deal. I don't list it on either my resume or my CV, but I'm also pretty late in my career. That said, I believe AIChE had a ring ceremony at the 2019 National Meeting last month, so it's possible that there's a push to make the Order more prominent.
I teach CHE senior design, and I wear my ring just about every day I'm on campus as an overt reminder to my students that ethics matter every day, not just when we're discussing ethics in class. I know from conversations I've had that some of the students notice the ring and know what it means. I encourage my students to take the oath because I want them to make the public commitment to ethical practice.
I note that your signature says you're a doctoral fellow. If you are anticipating an academic career, you might want to get the ring as a way of emphasizing to students the importance of ethics.
Best,
Steve Thiel
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Stephen Thiel PE
Professor - Educator
University of Cincinnati
Montgomery OH
Original Message:
Sent: 12-02-2019 10:57
From: Joseph Whitmore
Subject: The Order of the Engineer
I have recently received my professional engineers license in the state of Maryland. Early next year, the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers is hosting an award ceremony at which new PEs are presented with the license wall plaque. We are being offered the chance to take an Oath to join the Order of the Engineer and be presented with a steel ring.
I've heard of this tradition from other countries (mostly Canada), but was unaware that anyone in the United States participated.
Is this a meaningful distinction to have? Does it add value to a resume over and above the PE license? Would you view a candidate/colleague more highly if they had taken this oath? Does anyone have experience in industry/academia/etc. where it made (or would have made) a difference?
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Joseph Whitmore PE
Clark Doctoral Fellow
University of Maryland
North Bethesda, Maryland
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