This year Dr. Andrea Paras started promoting the Map the System (MTS) Competition to University of Guelph (U of G) students. MTS is a global competition that encourages students to consider “social and environmental issues through systems thinking, going beyond disciplines and questioning deeply held assumptions.” The competition aims to show that students can be changemakers in the real world beyond campuses and off paper.
It was this past winter when students Sophie Kaloudas and Campbell Lewis decided to enter the MTS competition. Kaloudas studies History and Political Science, and Lewis studies Environmental Science. Together, they thought that their disciplines would apply well to the Ring of Fire, an area in Northern Ontario rich with critical minerals that is also on Indigenous land. Trying to open a mine while also supporting each community’s unique needs and priorities has been difficult.
Mapping Systems of Mining Contention: Ring of Fire Review
Kaloudas and Lewis set out to ‘map’ the system of mining contention over Northern Ontario’s “Ring of Fire” region after they viewed a series of ad campaigns regarding the area that were promoted during the world series playoffs in the fall of 2025. After three months of research, the two students submitted a report detailing the challenge, current solutions, and their ideas for which levers of change could be applied to the issue.
The winner of the MTS competition would get to go to Oxford, in England, to compete globally, but Kaloudas and Lewis had just hoped to put in their best effort. After a couple of weeks, they received an email inviting them to be one of four teams to present their research to a panel of judges at the University of Guelph competition level. In that moment, the competition became so much more real.
2026 was the first year that Map the System was run at the U of G, so there was a lot of learning along the way. The two women were selected to go last among the four presentations. After the presentation, the judges deliberated and announced that Kaloudas and Lewis’ project would be bound for Oxford.
Flights, Fanfare, and Farewells
MTS Canada paired the winning U of G students with four coaches, experts in systems thinking, economics, and development, who reviewed their project and gave feedback. From there, Kaloudas and Lewis conducted stakeholder interviews, connecting with people who lived and worked in and around the Ring of Fire.
The journey to Oxford was a long one and it was both women’s first time in England. They had a chance to be tourists in Oxford, touring historic sites or going punting on the creek, (travelling down a river in a wooden boot propelling the boat with a metal pole).
During the four-day MTS event, they met teams from nearly every continent, listened to inspiring speakers that included environmental activists and Oxford professors, and gave a presentation that they took pride in. Even though all the teams there were giving their all, it was not a competitive environment. Everyone was very friendly and excited to meet each other, just happy to participate in the competition.
Kaloudas and Lewis did not win the competition, but they took a lot from their time with MTS. Through their research, they learned that there is no such thing as a black-and-white answer when examining issues as large as the controversy over mining in the Ring of Fire. Another thing they learned is how willing people are to help others. For example, Lewis reached out to an acquaintance, who put her in touch with someone else, and by the end of the day she was sitting in front of a fire pit, interviewing a mining executive in his backyard. Kaloudas spoke to her family friend about the competition, who met a researcher who worked on the Ring of Fire. Their greatest takeaway from global competition was first experiencing the large community of people who are passionate about understanding the problems that society faces. Whether that be mining, funding for the arts, or data surveillance, there were so many changemakers who were committed to creating solutions for these problems and sharing their stories on a global stage.
Final Thoughts on the MTS Experience
“We would like to thank the University of Guelph’s CSAHS for funding this amazing opportunity, Dr. Paras for bringing the competition to U of G and helping us on every step of the journey and Map the Systems Canada for the fantastic coaching and facilitation they provided.” Said Kaloudas and Lewis. “We cannot recommend the MTS program enough; although not everyone can get to go to Oxford, we highly recommend participating to learn about the process of Systems Thinking.”
Both entering the third year of their respective programs this fall, Kaloudas and Lewis plan to continue applying Systems Thinking to their studies. They also aim to make their report and research accessible to the public and continue learning and advocating more about the Ring of Fire, a very pertinent issue. You can find their published project on the 2026 MTS website.
Stay tuned for more information about future MTS opportunities at U of G. There are many cohorts of future passionate students who will vie for a place on the Oxford stage and CSAHS can’t wait to see what they present.