More than 600 students will temporarily freeze into a pose to draw public attention to the cause. The event is part of the Engineers Without Borders National Conference being held Wednesday to Saturday. Engineers Without Borders is a non-governmental organization devoted to international development.

The freeze will ocur Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7:15 p.m. around the area bounded by Spadina Avenue, Church Street, Bloor Street and Front Street

"We will be divided into small groups and orchestrate a simultaneous 'freeze' throughout the downtown core," said Catherine Denis, communications co-ordinator and a UW engineering student. "We will help passersby understand how they can contribute to a better life for people in developing communities by consuming fair trade certified products."

Speakers at the eighth annual EWB conference include Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research In Motion and founder of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and Neil Turok, executive director of the Waterloo-based Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. A number of renowned social entrepreneurs, development workers, authors and politicians are also involved with the event.
The conference takes place at the Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Centre in Mississauga. It closes with a gala banquet and keynote address by Turok at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, Jan. 24, starting 7 p.m. Professionals -- engineers and non-engineers alike -- will discover international development issues and learn how they can leverage their influence to make a positive difference.