Nearly 70 students take part in engineering, computing induction ceremony

Kara Combs graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering on May 1.

Nearly 70 Wright State University engineering and computer science and engineering students took part in an induction ceremony for the Order of the Engineer and the Pledge of the Computing Professional.

The ceremony was held April 30 at the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

“For those that just graduated, the last year-and-a-half of their degree programs has been challenging,” said Brian Rigling, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “I am grateful that we were able to hold this spring’s ceremony in person, and the fact that it drew record attendance shows how hungry we all are for a return to normal.”

The Order of the Engineer is a symbolic organization that seeks to promote professionalism among engineers and graduates of accredited engineering programs. The order is the roster of engineers in the United States who have publicly accepted the “Obligation of an Engineer” while participating in an engineers’ ring ceremony.

The Pledge of the Computing Professional is an organization that promotes computing as a recognized profession at the time of graduation for students in computer science and related programs. The pledge is a rite-of-passage ceremony for graduates of computing programs.

The 67 participants in the ceremony included graduating seniors, students who graduated in 2020 who preferred to wait for an in-person ceremony instead of last fall’s virtual one, graduate students and a department chair who had not been inducted when she was a student.

Subhashini Ganapathy, associate professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical, Industrial and Human Factors Engineering, said taking the oath for the first time symbolized and amplified the importance of her contributions to engineering over the past 20-plus years of her career.

“I think it is important for every engineer to take the oath because it provides a visual anchor to represent the significance of this field,” she said.

Kara Combs, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering, said the ceremony and a senior send-off event following the ceremony was a chance to see old and new friends face to face.

“Additionally, we were reminded of the professional, ethical and moral obligations expected of us after graduation,” she said. “So often we focus on simply finishing the degree and will overlook the responsibilities we are about to inherit as official engineers.”