At my university in the US it was optional and cost money. I was broke so I just didn’t do it. It was also framed as a Canadian thing we were starting to offer
Yeah, in America, at the end of engineering school, all the students are gathered into the Iron Ring and they fistfight to see who actually gets a degree. Top 30% or so win. That's why I didn't go to engineering school, I didn't have enough time for gainz
As originally conceived, the engineer's iron ring rubs against the drawings and paper upon which the Engineer writes and even in modern times, serves as a reminder when working on a computer.
Think it's intended more for the design engineer than the construction engineer.
But that said you can get some decent silicone rings that won't de-glove you if they get caught these days.
A myth persists that the initial batch of Iron Rings was made from the beams of the first Quebec Bridge, a bridge that collapsed during construction in 1907 due to poor planning and design by the overseeing engineers.
How can you do that to my, Wikipedia? I never believed in Santa, but I believed in the tragic origin of the ring.