The Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement, alongside six passionate University of Waterloo faculty members, are championing systems thinking on campus.
A unifying approach between the myriad of peacebuilding professionals who are advancing peace in the Centre is the use of systems thinking, a holistic way to analyse a problem that considers the impacts of interrelated, interdependent parts of a whole. This is the heartbeat of Map the System—an annual, global competition brought to the university by the Centre for Peace Advancement.
![Portraits of Jonathan Baltrusaitis, Karin Schmidlin, Matt Borland, Paul Heidebrecht, Simron Singh, and Tobias Thielen](/centre-peace-advancement/sites/default/files/uploads/images/mts_news_item_picture2.png)
The University of Waterloo Council for Responsible Innovation and Technology (CRIT) is a prominent supporter of Map the System at Waterloo. CRIT Research Associate Jason Lajoie is excited about how this opportunity can further research that engages the effects of technological innovation: “The Map the System competition is ideally suited to foster the innovative, systems thinking approaches our UWaterloo students need to responsibly address these complex socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts.”
The multi-disciplinary application of systems thinking has allowed many pathways for students to receive academic credit for Map the System:
- Jonathan Baltrusaitis and Karin Schmidlin are each teaching a section of GBDA 302: Global Digital Project, a course that has previously embedded Map the System.
- Matthew Borland, a lecturer in the department of Systems Design Engineering, will be integrating Map the System into his design course SYDE 362: Systems Design Methods 2: Testing, Verification, and Validation.
- Paul Heidebrecht, Director of the Centre for Peace Advancement, is teaching a new course structured around the competition that is open to both undergraduate and graduate students—PACS 490/620: Map the System.
- Simron Singh will be teaching a graduate course titled INDEV 607: Methods for Sustainable Development Practice: A Systems Approach, which will also be integrating the competition.
- Tobias Thielen, lecturer with the Master of Digital Experience Innovation program, will be embedding the competition in his DEI 625: Innovation and Impact course.
Waterloo Map the System Campus Lead Thomas Fraser, a new addition to the team this year, is excited to support students through this unique learning opportunity, whether they are competing in a curricular or co-curricular manner: “We live in unprecedented times requiring unprecedented responses, and Map the System is helping pioneer a path toward much-needed innovation. I look forward to supporting competitors through this valuable and transformative experience.”
Want to talk to someone about getting involved with Map the System? Connect with Campus Lead Thomas Fraser.