Photo Caption: Trine University inducted 34 graduating seniors into the Order of the Engineer during a ceremony on May 5.

Thirty-four seniors in Trine University's Allen School of Engineering & Technology were inducted into the Order of the Engineer during a recent ceremony.

Adam McHenry of Zionsville, majoring in Biomedical Engineering, was among the students who became members of the Order.

The Order of the Engineer was initiated in the United States to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility in the engineering profession, to bridge the gap between training and experience, and to present to the public a visible symbol identifying the engineer. The Order of the Engineer is an association for graduate and professional engineers in the United States that emphasizes pride and responsibility in the engineering profession. It was inspired by the success of The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, a similar and much older Canadian ceremony, and is a common presence in American engineering schools.

The first American ceremony was held June 4, 1970, at Cleveland State University's Fenn College of Engineering, though similar ceremonies upon which this is based have a much longer history in Canada, dating to 1925. Now, almost all states have universities with chapters, called "links," that host the Order of the Engineer. Several engineering organizations also host links, such as NSPE, United States Army Corps of Engineers, and ASCE.

During the ceremony, engineering graduates take the Obligation of the Order. The obligation is a creed similar to the oath attributed to Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) that is generally taken by medical graduates and which sets forth an ethical code. The obligation, likewise, contains parts of the Canon of Ethics of major engineering societies. Initiates, as they accept it voluntarily, pledge to uphold the standards and dignity of the engineering profession and to serve humanity by making the best use of Earth's precious wealth.

After each member takes the obligation, they are awarded the ring while putting their hands through a big ring and having a member of the Order of the Engineer put the ring on the little finger of the dominant hand. Each inductee takes the obligation, signs a certificate of obligation and wears the ring to show their pride in the Order and as a symbol of their obligation to the profession and the public.

Members are given a stainless steel ring called the Engineer's Ring. The ring is worn on the little finger so that it will drag across any surface on which the wearer writes, providing a constant reminder of the engineer's oath.

Trine University conducted its first ring ceremony in November 1978.