
Dr. Nadine Ibrahim, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Waterloo and the Turkstra Chair in Urban Engineering, describes the day she took part in the ceremony as a deeply personal and professional milestone.
"In 2000, I graduated with a degree in civil engineering, became a Canadian citizen and took the oath to wear the Iron Ring," Ibrahim says. "There were lots of celebrations that year, but the Iron Ring ceremony brought it all together for me - it gave my newly achieved degree purpose and meaning, and it welcomed me into a profession in Canada.
"As one of 23 women in a class of 82, receiving the ring was a unifying moment that symbolized our cohort’s shared student journey and future responsibilities as engineers," she recalls. "Twenty-five years later and women in engineering are still underrepresented but there are more of us, and the more diverse the profession, the better it does to uphold the Iron Ring oath for everyone."

"Wearing the Iron Ring isn’t just a reminder for engineers, it’s a marker that others notice too. It represents our profession’s reputation for excellence, one we must live up to - whether in the boardroom, on a
As an educator, Ibrahim believes this commitment to the social good is more important than ever in today’s rapidly changing and complex world. As president of the Canadian Engineering Education Association / Association canadienne de l’éducation en génie (CEEA-ACÉG) and chair of its Engineer of 2050 Special Interest Group, she is working on identifying the skills and attributes future engineers will need to be proactively effective.
"Technological advancements, socioeconomic upheavals and climate change are putting our planet under extreme pressure," Ibrahim says. "What’s needed now are forward-thinking engineers who can collaborate with professionals across other disciplines for productive solutions to the problems we face.

In her course on sustainability, Ibrahim encourages students to grapple with tough questions such as how to design climate-resilient infrastructure in communities with limited resources. Her approach pushes them to develop a deep understanding of societal contexts before beginning any design work. While civil engineering is often associated with infrastructure like bridges and buildings, Ibrahim emphasizes its broader role in creating sustainable, inclusive communities.
"As civil engineers we’re not just designing structures; we’re shaping the spaces where people live, work and connect," Ibrahim says. "We’ve moved beyond simply building infrastructure to creating spaces that support the human spirit. A well-designed city isn’t just functional-it’s joyful, and that requires a human-centred approach."
This perspective reflects how the engineering profession is shifting in practice to include environmental sustainability, equity and cultural considerations. For Ibrahim, the enduring relevance of the Iron Ring is that it embodies this shift perfectly, uniting all wearers - past, present and future - as engineers who think about how their work affects people’s lives.

Go to Alum’s poem celebrates the Iron Ring tradition for an inspiring tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Iron Ring.
Feature photo (left to right): Graduating students from Waterloo’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - Alina Zhao, Prasith Wijeweera, Catherine Teng, Justin Aide, Kim Ong with Dr. Nadine Ibrahim (centre) at their Iron Ring ceremony on February 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Casey Wagter