Conferences

ESSCO Presidents Meeting (ESSCO PM)

The Engineering Students Societies Council of Ontario Presidents’ Meeting is an opportunity for executive teams from the different schools across Ontario to come together, discuss relevant issues, and provide direction to the ESSCO council. The SVP EX and President of ESS attend this annually.

CFES Presidents Meeting (CFES PM)

The Canadian Federation of Engineering Students Presidents’ Meeting brings together representatives from engineering schools across the country to network and prepare for CFES Congress. The representatives provide the CFES Council with direction for the upcoming year. The SVP Ex is the only delegate to attend this conference.

PEO Student Conference (PEO-SC)

The Professional Engineers of Ontario Student Conference is a professional development conference that introduces delegates to PEO and the benefits of obtaining a P.Eng license. The conference focuses on the licensing process and the PEO Student Membership Program. Anyone can apply to attend this conference.

Robert Conrad, 5th year Computer Engineering

A common stream of the conference was none traditional usage of engineering principles. As a Computer Engineering Student who often hears of the struggles of pursuing engineering in technology, this conference showcased the values ​​of consulting, politics and business opportunities that engineering fundamentals can be applied to. Furthermore, a lot of topics had valuable lessons of the changing nature of a career and how a starting job can be pivoted to unique and different opportunities.

Canadian Engineering Leadership Conference (CELC)

The Canadian Federation of Engineering Students Congress is a week-long conference that serves as the annual general meeting of the CFES as well as an opportunity for students to collaborate and learn from industry partners. Anyone can apply to attend this conference.

Conference on Advocacy and Leadership in Engineering (CALE)

The ESSCO Annual General Meeting introduces the new council of VP Externals to ESSCO, PEO, OSPE and the CFES, as well as their new role on council. Guest speakers and student-run sessions focus on leadership development and sharing of best practices. The ESSCO executives for the upcoming year are elected and the direction for the year is decided.

ESSCO First Year Integration Conference (FYIC)

The First Year Integration Conference is a leadership development conference for first year students looking to get more involved in their engineering students societies. It is an opportunity to learn about CFES, PEO, OSPE and ESSCO, as well as develop leadership skills and meet new people. Any first year students may apply to attend this conference.

Yasen Akir, 1st year Chemical Engineering

Attending FYIC and learning from industry professionals and other well established people sounded like a great idea to me as soon as i heard about it. I was not disappointed. In fact, FYIC Zoomed past my expectations and it was an experience full of ideas, connections, and lessons that I hope will help me throughout my university career and after. Learning about organizations such as OSPE and PEO is something I believe everyone should do! I enjoyed all of the other sessions but mostly the Project Management session, which inspired me to look into a different aspect of engineering as a possible career choice. All in all, the co-chairs and the volunteers at Ontario Tech University made Virtual FYIC an incredible experience and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend! 🙂

CDE

The Conference on Diversity in Engineering is a national forum hosted by CFES centred on issues involved with diversity in engineering. The sessions and discussions focus on creating a more inclusive industry. Anyone can apply to attend this conference.

Alae Boufarrachene, 1st year Computer Engineering

As an international first-year Computer Engineering student of multi-cultural background, I've truly enjoyed CDE in all of its aspects. I came in there with an open-mind hoping to get educated on complex EDI-related topics and issues and to strengthen my already-existing knowledge on those kinds of subjects, and even though my expectations were somewhat high, I wasn't disappointed.
My favorite session was the one on systemic racism because it touched on some very insightful points and were adequately established in their contexts. Regardless of the online format of this year's edition, CDE was also the perfect opportunity to get to meet with other fellow Engineering students from across Canada coming from a wide variety of backgrounds.
It was an incredible experience, and I would recommend it to anyone to consider participating in future editions.

Souleima Torjemane, 2nd year Chemical Engineering

Hi! My name is Souleima and I am currently a second-year student in chemical engineering.
I had the opportunity to attend the Conference of Diversity in Engineering, hosted by the University of Calgary. I was a bit hesitant due to the format of the conference (online), but it was great. It was a way for me to reflect and to see what I, as a future engineer, could do to make it better. It is a bit overwhelming at first when you realize you have a lot to learn but I had a great support! Chloe was always available to answer my questions (and I do ask a lot of them).
I think that as an engineer you have to care about diversity because this is what makes us stronger as a community, this is how we take better decisions and this is how we can help to make the world a better place for everyone. I 100% recommend! Even if it is online! It was great and breaks were given so you could breathe a little bit! I am happy to have had the opportunity to attend!

Jade Breau, 3rd year Chemical Engineering

It took me three years to finally apply for an engineering conference and my only disappointment is not doing it sooner. If there is one thing that CDE2020 / CDI2020 taught me, it is that everyone needs diversity and inclusivity training. The conference, while 100% online, still allowed me to connect with engineering students from all over the country, lead to various networking opportunities and showed me that learning how to be more inclusive is a never ending process. I enjoyed all of the sessions but the one that marked me the most is Intersectionality 101 since it led to great conversations and demonstrated how easy it is to learn how to be more open. This will not be the last conference I apply for and while it might make it harder for me to be chosen, I would highly recommend for everyone to start applying for these amazing events!