Keyword: science
Alumni in their own words - Marnie Klassen (CMU '21)
Where has your life taken you since you left CMU?
After graduating I very quickly got a job doing communications and admin support with A Rocha Manitoba, a Christian nature conservation organization. I was eager to explore volunteer and service opportunities elsewhere, and through some encouragement I applied and was accepted to the worker program at Romero House in Toronto. Taking this step felt so big for me, in a wonderful way. In the one-year term, I lived and worked with refugee claimants in Toronto's west end. I was the volunteer coordinator for the organization, which had me managing a team of over 140 volunteers, and was a settlement case worker for several claimant families. I learned a lot about the refugee claimant system in Canada, and a lot about interfaith and intercultural relationships. During my time in Toronto, I made connections at Eglinton Saint George United Church and ended up getting a job with that congregation as the Growth Initiatives Project Coordinator, which meant I was coordinating and running food justice-based events and programs through the church. All during this time I began freelance writing and preaching for organizations and churches, mostly exploring the themes of faith and climate. When the contract at the church came to an end, I decided to move back to Winnipeg and focus on developing a podcast called 'The Schism Between Us', which explores religious polarization in Canada, particularly within the Mennonite community. I've also recently taken on work as communications assistant for a worship resource hub called "Together in Worship."
Continue ReadingCandice Viddal reflects on teaching, curiosity, and the beauty of science
Dr. Candice Viddal, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics, has worked at CMU since 2010. She and Dr. Jodi Dueck-Read, Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution Studies and Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies, are co-recipients of the 2023 Kay and Lorne Dick Teaching Excellence Award.
The award, established in 2022, is granted annually to two faculty members who best exemplify the CMU commitment to excellent teaching.
Continue ReadingBrewing purpose: Stephen Kang builds Prairie Solar Café
Throughout Manitoba's milder seasons, you can find Stephen Kang pulling shots of espresso, brewing tea, and pouring kombucha on tap from his small solar-powered trailer, Prairie Solar Café.
His inspiration for this mobile coffee shop stems from a young age. "I really love food trucks," he says. "Growing up, I would go to some of the food truck festivals as a kid and be like, this is the coolest thing ever, and the food is amazing!" What he didn't love were the trucks' generators—noisy, smelly, and overstimulating. He wanted to maintain the joy of the food truck, while also creating a quieter, more relaxing experience that prioritizes sustainability.
Continue ReadingTelling the story of science
"Science communication is more of a form of storytelling than a kind of data transmission," John Brubacher, Adjunct Professor of Biology, says.
The CMU science programming and facilities provide students with exceptional opportunities to formulate and investigate scientific questions, but the scientific process does not end when an investigator satisfies their own curiosity.
Continue ReadingFrom newcomer to community-builder: A CMU alum’s journey of purpose, justice, and leadership
When Gode Katembo thinks about his time at CMU, he doesn't just remember classes and assignments. What stands out is how the experience reshaped his sense of direction.
"For me, CMU did not prepare me for a career," he said. "It prepared me for purpose."
Continue ReadingCMU welcomes new faculty to start 2025/26 academic year
CMU enters a new academic year with both excitement and gratitude, welcoming five new faculty members whose expertise spans music, biology, social work, psychology, and chemistry.
Together, these teaching appointments highlight the university's ongoing commitment to interdisciplinary teaching, faith-integrated scholarship, and nurturing students in ways that prepare them to engage the world with curiosity, compassion, and purpose.
Continue ReadingDr. John Brubacher | 2024 Kay and Lorne Dick Teaching Excellence Award Recipient (video)
Dr. John Brubacher, Associate Professor of Biology, has worked at CMU since 2008. He and Lynda Loewen, Teaching Assistant Professor of Psychology, are co-recipients of the 2024 Kay and Lorne Dick Teaching Excellence Award.
The award, established in 2022, is granted annually to two faculty members who best exemplify CMU's commitment to excellent teaching.
Continue ReadingCMU students connect to global project
Near the end of a research leave that I spent at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I had the opportunity to train as a partner instructor in the Tiny Earth program that's headquartered there. This program, launched in 2018, is a microbiology lab curriculum being pursued by a growing international network of students and instructors. The program's goal is to "studentsource" the discovery of new antibiotics—one avenue of response to the emerging crisis of antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria. Tiny Earth is the brainchild of one of my scientific and pedagogical heroes: Jo Handelsman, a soil microbiologist and director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at UW Madison.
Continue ReadingCMU theology student receives prized Canada Graduate Scholarship
CMU student Karissa Durant has been awarded a prestigious Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's award worth $17,500.
The Government of Canada announced in March the results of the competition for the 2022/23 academic year. The scholarships are administered by Canada's federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Continue ReadingFace2Face | Let’s Get Dirty: The Lowdown on Earth’s Fabric in your own Yard (video)
From Zimbabwe to Winnipeg, science has uncovered the potential that lies within the soil. From nutrient-rich food production to life-saving antibiotics, learn how the dirt in the fields and in your own yard can be harnessed to make our world a better, healthier place. Hear from scientists, researchers, conservationists, and farmers as they unearth the impact we can all make on local and global communities.
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