Published on April 25, 2026

From the Engineering Communication Program at University of Toronto:

We are thrilled to invite you to a special edition of the ISTEP Speaker Series in celebration of the Engineering Communication Program’s 30th anniversary! Join us to hear ECP founder Prof. Robert Irish deliver his talk, “Communication as an Incremental Revolution: 30 years of ECP,” on Monday, May 11, 2026, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm, Eastern Daylight time. This is a hybrid event; lunch and refreshments will be provided to those who can attend in person, and a link will be sent to those who register to attend virtually. Please register to attend in person or virtually via the ISTEP Speaker Series event page. All are welcome. Please use the QR code provided at the bottom of this page.

Dr. Irish will reflect on lessons learned over 30 years of the Engineering Communication Program. But more, it celebrates the ways in which this unique program has integrated communication as core to engineering disciplines. In the process, students’ understanding of their fields and themselves has grown from solely technical to social and transformative with communication as the empowering force. 

Bio: Robert Irish is the founder of the Engineering Communication Program at University of Toronto. He directed the program from 1995-2008. During his time at U of T, he has taught in every department of Engineering. Currently, he is the Associate Director of Engineering Science for Years One and Two. He teaches Language and Power (TEP322), Communication 1  in Civil Engineering (CIV282), and Engineering and Society in Engineering Science (ESC203). His recent work focuses on how students learn and structure argument, and Care Ethics in engineering education. He is the author of two textbooks: Engineering Communication: from Principles to Practice (Oxford, co-authored with Peter Eliot Weiss), and Writing in Engineering: A Brief Guide (Oxford, 2016).

Join us to hear ECP founder Prof. Robert Irish deliver his talk, "Communication as an Incremental Revolution: 30 years of ECP,” on Monday, May 11, 2026, from 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Eastern Daylight time.