CMU announces recipient of first Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship

Jonah Langelotz has been awarded the first Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship by Canadian Mennonite University (CMU). Janzen was particularly interested in the environmental aspects and impacts of agriculture. He pursued his interests through studies at Canadian Mennonite Bible College, the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta, where he received his doctorate in soil science. A hard working farmer and steward of the land, Janzen supported agricultural communities around the world by sharing his expertise with farmers. Langelotz is in the fourth year of his international development studies degree and completed his practicum this summer by working at a small-scale organic farm in southern Manitoba. He says he’s “very interested in exploring the hands-on aspects of farming,” and how the topics of agriculture and the environment connect with international development. Students qualifying for this $1,000 scholarship demonstrate inter-disciplinary interest in courses in geography, environmental studies, international development, biology and biblical/theological studies, and are involved with CMU’s market garden/farm and in connecting this experience with their studies. The annual scholarship is awarded to a third- or fourth-year student who is exploring some combination of land use and ethics, rural-urban land issues, agricultural capacity building, soil biodiversity and nutrient cycles, environmental sustainability and urban agriculture.

—Posted Jan. 28, 2015