Conferences

Canadian Engineering Conferences

With the EUS you have multiple opportunities to participate or to be active in the engineering community! These opportunities can lead  you to new connections, exposure to a new set of skills, develop your leadership skills, work on yourself and so much more. We highly suggest taking a second to read the description of each conference and competition and if you have any questions please contact us and we will be able to answer you or redirect you to the proper ressource.

In the engineering community there are two main organizations that organize these conferences, the Atlantic Council of Engineering Student (ACES) & the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES). ACES focuses on local conferences within the Atlantic Provinces which includes: Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador. While the CFES focuses within Canada including all provinces found in Canada. Outside of these two organisations there are also other organisations that delivers amazing conferences in the engineering community.

ACES

  • The Annual General Meeting is a fall gathering between the ACES Executive, commissioners, and its members. This conference is focused on group discussions, allowing attendees to gain insight from each other and provide input into the growth and direction of ACES. During the General Assembly session, member representatives propose resolutions and vote on important motions that will impact engineering students across Atlantic Canada.

  • The Atlantic Engineering Competition (AEC) is an annual student-run initiative that began in 1983 and has since grown to become one of the largest and highly anticipated engineering competitions in Canada. The competition will bring together 150+ of the brightest engineering students from 9 universities across Atlantic Canada. The 3-day event provides a setting for students to develop meaningful relationships with their peers while demonstrating their engineering skills in a competitive environment.

    Students in teams of 1-4 compete in a series of 8 competitions designed to test their innovative, problem-solving, and leadership skills – key qualities of a successful and well-rounded engineer. Winners of the AEC 2023 will represent the Atlantic Region at the prestigious Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC), where they will pit their skills against winners from similar regional competitions across Canada.

    The different categories for this competition are as follow:

    • Junior Design

    • Senior Design

    • Consulting

    • Communications

    • Programming

    • Innovative

    • Re-ENGG

    • Debate

  • The Engineering Leadership Summit (ELS) is Atlantic Canada's premiere, annual engineering leadership conference centred on providing leadership and professional development opportunities for engineering students in Atlantic Canada. Over 100 students attend ELS, making the conference a great opportunity to engage with and learn from ACES's partners, sponsors, and student leaders. During the day, delegates are given the opportunity to attend sessions offered by a combination of students and industry experts to broaden their leadership and professional skills, while the evenings are spent engaging with other students and industry professionals from a broad array of engineering fields.

    During ELS, ACES will also host their elections for these specific positions:

    • President

    • VP Finance

    • VP Communication

    • VP Services

    Overall ELS is packed with lots of activities to help you as a student improve your leadership skills and also to get involved with ACES.

CFES

  • The CFES is proud to offer the Conference on Diversity in Engineering (CDE) as a valuable service to its members. Previously known as the National Conference on Women in Engineering (NCWIE), CDE aims to develop knowledge surrounding the variety of individuals, cultures and perspectives found within engineering communities. CDE further aims to instil a notion of positivity and togetherness in creating spaces that value the differences between groups of engineering students and professionals.

  • The Canadian Engineering Leadership Conference serves as one of the annual meetings of the CFES' Board, and National Executive, it is also the largest conference held by the CFES. It attracts hundreds of students and speakers from all across Canada to come together and interact in this unique opportunity!

    At the conference, you can expect sessions on a wide variety of topics that are ultimately targeted to help develop future student leaders. You can expect discussions on student engagement, development, and promoting school and engineering culture. These panels and sessions attract speakers from a wide variety of fields, bringing together Academics, Entrepreneurs & Industry Leaders to interact with students!

  • The Conference on Sustainability in Engineering (CSE) is a three-day national conference to educate and engage engineering students on issues of sustainability and how they can tackle it within their engineering career and everyday life.

    CSE provides a stage for engineering students across Canada to discuss innovative ideas and learn from fellow students and professionals in order to further their understanding of sustainability in the Engineering field.

  • Each year, the Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC) brings together over 200 of the most innovative and creative engineering undergraduate students from across the nation to compete against each other in eight categories (Junior Design, Senior Design, Innovative Design, Engineering Consulting, Parliamentary Debate, Re-engineering, Programming, and Engineering Communication). Each competition category at CEC challenges its participants to expand their frame of reference and to identify solutions to problems experienced by our profession.

    Established in 1985, and hosted yearly at a constituent school, CEC is a highly selective competition. Those invited must first best their peers at their own intra-school competition, and then must achieve a top performance at their respective regional competition. They are:

    • Atlantic Engineering Competition (AEC)

    • Ontario Engineering Competition (OEC)

    • Quebec Engineering Competition (QEC)

    • Western Engineering Competition (WEC)

    In true Canadian style, CEC is a bilingual event, permitting students to compete in choice of English or French, with simultaneous translation available for judges and observers in both languages.

    The competition represents a valuable opportunity for industry participation and support, and sponsors and contributors propose real-world case studies for competition themes. The judges are drawn from related industry fields, or academia, and share their experiences with the competitors throughout the weekend as they network with the top up-and-coming engineers.

Other Conferences

  • EngiQueers Canada conference is a conference, to further foster connections between queer students in STEM.

    Over three days, industry professionals, member groups, and student leaders will transfer knowledge, discuss challenges student advocacy groups face, and provide tangible ways to address them.

    Delegates will leave with the resources they need to promote EDI on campus, connect with their local community, and run a thriving and sustainable organisation.

    EngiQueers has developed content since 2013. Engineering students from across the country have consulted, and approved upon the content over the years. It is constantly updated to stay relevant, and is tailored to each respective audience. EQ Canada has become a national expert for inclusivity recommendations through presenting at dozens of conferences across the country.

    For more information, visit their website: https://www.engiqueers.ca/conference-2024