Map The System UCalgary Campus Finals 2026
Watch the top teams from the 2026 UCalgary Map the System program present their findings for a chance at $5000 in prizes and a spot at the Oxford Global Finals!
Event overview:
This presentation competition represents the culmination of three (3) months of learning completed by a diverse group of students from across UCalgary who enrolled in this year’s Map the System competition. The teams have demonstrated exceptional creativity and dedication to exploring their chosen social issue and are invited to present their findings live to a panel of judges for a chance to win a first-place prize of $2,500, a second-place prize of $1,500, and a third-place prize of $500. This final experience is designed to help teams commit to their research and connect with relevant supporters who can help them take their next steps.
Learn more about Map the System
Who can attend?
Open to the UCalgary community and anyone who has an interest in exploring how systems thinking can be applied to social or environmental issues.
Who will you hear from?
Map the System UCalgary Finals will feature the top eight teams from the Map the System 2026 cohort.
Meet the judges:
Kathryn Arnold, Human-Centered Design Lead, W21C
Kathryn leads the Health Everywhere Hub initiative, while also supporting the design practice of the W21C Human Factors team with expertise in service design and developmental evaluation methodology. Kathryn leverages her background in systems design, social and health marketing, kinesiology, and public health/health promotion to uncover important insights that support collaboration within the tech ecosystem. Sheuse’s service design to support clients and innovators to reimagine the delivery of health care services to improve provider and patient experiences. Through this approach, W21C supports health organizations to adopt and implement new products and services thoughtfully and efficiently.
Paula Berton, Manager, Founder & Venture Initiatives, UCalgary
Paula Berton is a Research Associate in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary, specializing in the use of ionic liquids for sustainable separation and purification processes, particularly in biomass and energy applications. She is also a co-founder of the Academic Entrepreneurs in Residence program, helping guide more than 35 research ventures toward commercialization, and serves as Chief Scientific Officer at CalAgua Innovations Corp. With a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Universidad Nacional de San Luis in Argentina, she has produced four provisional patents, over 50 publications, and more than 1,300 citations while actively mentoring students and teaching innovation-focused courses.
Sunand Kannappan, 2025 UCalgary Map the System Winner, Medical Student
Sunand Kannappan (he/him) is a third-year medical student at the University of Calgary. He serves as the Co-Chair for CFPC’s Section of Medical Students (SOMS) Council. He has previously worked with McKinsey & Company and Cleveland Clinic on healthcare and digital strategy. He has deeply passionate about the future of primary care in Canada, and has worked on health IT topics.