Conference on Diversity in Engineering
 | |
| Dates | November |
|---|---|
| Location | Various (different school every year) |
The Conference on Diversity in Engineering (CDE) is presented by the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES) in collaboration with universities from across Canada. It aims to encourage discussion and collaboration between engineering student leaders and professionals around the theme of diversity in engineering. The conference will encourage and aid students in developing knowledge surrounding the variety of individuals, cultures and perspectives found within engineering communities to better address the multidisciplinary issues of society. Their goal is to foster an open and welcoming environment that values the differences within engineering groups to improve the quality and inclusivity of engineering design.
Each university registered as a member of the CFES sends a delegation of engineering students of their school to attend CDE. The CDE Delegation representing McGill University is created according to the CDE Delegation Selection Committee Policy, which is under the VP External's portfolio.
History
The Conference on Diversity in Engineering was established to replace the very successful National Conference on Women in Engineering (NCWiE). NCWiE was founded by students at Queen’s University in response to the 1989 massacre at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal. Since then, it continues to be hosted by different universities across the nation. The intent to change the title was to encourage an inclusive environment, cover additional topics, and allow for different discussions.
Programming
This conference usually occurs in the month of November and hosted by an engineering school which is bid and voted at the yearly Congress. The location of that year's CDE is at the organizing committee's school
Each year, the sessions at CDE revolve around a central theme and are led by professionals in the industry or other student leaders who are passionate about the topics being discussed at these sessions. Topics in the past include learning about anti-oppression, afro-descendant women in engineering, women of colour in STEM, being queer in the industry, and much more! The theme and workshop subjects change every year and are organized by an organizing committee of engineering students from the host school and is overseen by the CFES VP Services.
Each night, there are opportunities to socialize with the other delegates of the conference, as well as a networking session to meet the sponsors of the conference! For more information, visit cfes.ca/cde or ask the VP External to send you the delegate packages from previous CDEs! These documents include the schedule, the sessions, etc.
Past CDE's
| Year | Hosting School | Location | Theme | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | University of Waterloo | Waterloo, ON | Algorithms for Success | File:CDE2015agenda.pdf |
| 2016 | McGill University | Montreal, QC | Building Momentum for Change | File:CDE Schedule.pdf |
| 2017 | McMaster University | Hamilton, ON | Breaking the Status Quo | File:CDE Schedule.pdf |
| 2018 | Ryerson University | Toronto, ON | Finding Unity in the Community | Available Upon Request |
| 2019 | Western University | London, ON | More Than A Label | Available Upon Request |
| 2020 | University of Calgary | Calgary, AB | Diversity starts with you | Available Upon Request |
| 2021 | Dalhousie University | Halifax, NS | Dismantle to Rebuild | cde.cfes.ca |