This Engineer has been called

I've been Iron Ringed! Last Saturday was the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, particularly in this case, my calling.

The day consisted of a workshops, some social gatherings, a formal ring ceremony and banquet.. It was an epically full day I’m sure to remember so long as my brain is in tact.

Suffice to say, I learned a lot more about the illusive Iron Ring. I discovered a lot more about what it stands for and I now have a lot more appreciation for this symbol and commitment. By the nature of the commitment, we’re not encouraged to rant about the details as it’s a commitment to ourselves and thus not intended to be a public thing. It’s a great concept & I think it could and should be expanded in some regard to apply to any and all professions, at least in some regard.

Anyway, it was an epic time. Won’t be forgotten any time soon. Photos from the day are here.

No More Chalkboard Spam

A Message to my fellow U of C Students….

'PL'-this BS-'O'

The other day I was sitting in class watching a prof write some notes on the chalkboard. As per usual, he navigated around a big section of the board that was boxed off with a note “PLO” (Please Leave On) written over it. The notes he wrote were compressed and distorted as he really needed a full board to express the idea.

It got me thinking…

Watching my prof thoughtfully navigate around the box got me thinking of how this ‘bull’ was affecting everyone in the room. There we all sat to learn something new. The person sharing their idea has so many limits on communication to navigate and this PLO box was one of them.

I recall seeing these kinds of ADVERTISEMENTS on chalkboards back in to high school. I’ve seen them thoughout my 8 years / 2 degrees at U of C… They’re nothing new and they compete for our attention. Yet I’m starting to wonder why my profs generally respect and avoid these intrusions?

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