Photo Gallery: Order of the Engineer

On Monday, 37 students from this year's graduating class of California State University, Bakersfield's engineering programs were inducted into the Order of the Engineer. During the ceremony, which was sponsored by Aera Energy, they pledged their commitment to the ethical and fair practice of engineering.

Dr. Jane Dong - Dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering - first took the opportunity to welcome the students to the profession.

"The engineering environment today is highly sophisticated and complex, and the profession of engineering is not an easy path to follow," she said. "It is a challenging profession requiring commitment to ethics and to excellence. Your engineering education was only the first accomplishment in your professional career."

As they begin the next chapter of their lives as engineers, Dr. Dong offered a few recommendations. First, she encouraged them to continue pursuing technical excellence and become lifelong learners, a necessity for those working in an ever-changing field. She also urged them to contribute to their community as future leaders. Finally, she advised them to become licensed professional engineers and to join professional organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Dr. Dong then welcomed Brent Ilot, vice president of operations from Aera, to convene the ceremony. Following a brief history of the order, Ilot led the students through the "Obligation of the Engineer" oath. The induction was finalized with students each taking a turn to put their hand through a large ring to receive their own special ring, which they will wear on the fifth finger of their dominant hand as a reminder of their promise.

The ring, Ilot explained, "will say to all who see it, 'Here is an engineer, possessed of a publicly avowed dedication to the profession and the public they serve.'"