Conferences
As the University of Alberta is a member of the Western Engineering Student Society Team (WESST) and the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES), students have the opportunity to attend student-centric conferences to learn about topics ranging from leadership to sustainability as well as to connect with students across Canada!
The Delegate Selection & Oversight Committee reviews applicants for each conference and select delegates best suited to attend and learn from these conferences.
The ESS also covers 75% of the cost of WESST and CFES conferences, with the exception of the Canadian Engineering Competition where we cover 100% of the delegate fees and travel expenses.
If you have any questions about conferences or these organization that oversee these conference, please email us at essext@ualberta.ca.
Leadership in Engineering and Advocacy Development Summit (LEADS)
LEADS is the largest engineering student conference in Western Canada. Typically, 60 to 80 student leaders from the eleven engineering universities in Western Canada attend this event, which encourages collaboration on topics such as student issues, leadership development, and future engineering student governance.
Conference on Diversity in Engineering (CDE)
CDE is a 3-day conference bringing together 150-200 delegates from CFES member schools across the country, combining formative workshops, networking opportunities, social connections, and transformative conversations aimed at inspiring students to champion Equity, Diversity, Belonging, and Accessibility (EDBA) at their schools and equipping them with the tools to do so.
Canadian Engineering Leadership Conference (CELC)
CELC is Canada's LARGEST annual student-run conference of the year and is the perfect way for engineering students from across the country to ring in the new year! Attracting between 150 and 200 delegates from over 50 engineering schools from coast to coast, CELC is a great opportunity to reach out and engage engineering student leaders from every institution and field of engineering.
Western Engineering Competition (WEC)
The Western Engineering Competition was established back in 1985, and is Western Canada’s premier engineering student event. It showcases the ingenuity, technical skills, and creativity of the region’s brightest future engineers. Since its inception, WEC has seen over 200 competitors from all Engineering Disciplines each year from over 11 Western engineering accredited institutions.
Conference on Sustainability in Engineering
CSE is an annual four-day national conference focused on educating and engaging engineering students on true sustainability and how it can be tackled within their engineering career and everyday lives. CSE provides a stage for engineering students across Canada to discuss innovative ideas and learn from fellow students and industry professionals in order to further their understanding of sustainability in engineering.
Canadian Engineering Conference
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. Each competition category at CEC challenges its participants to expand their frame of reference and to identify solutions to problems experienced by our profession.