The Gather-Ring is a unique indigenous-themed structure on Victoria Island, the Algonquin territory at the very heart of Ottawa. It was designed by Prof. Manuel Báez in the Carleton School of Architecture, but Systems and Computer Engineering professor Cheryl Schramm and students are also involved. Glass pendants dangle above the space and catch the light as the sun rises and sets. At night they are illuminated from beneath by LED strip lights, whose colours and sequences will be programmed by Carleton engineering students as part of a collaboration including Cheryl Schramm.
“We always talk about multidisciplinary work,” says Schramm. “It’s such a thrill to be doing this. This is the type of project I want my students to experience. It’s public, it’s creative and it brings an element of Indigenous culture to an engineering class.
“Professional engineers are servants of the public,” she adds, “and this provides a way to talk about Indigenous issues and reconciliation with our students. It feels very real.”