Thursday, Apr 4, 2019
Students will intermingle with industry professionals, and winners receive cash prizes
天美传媒官网's College of Business Administration will serve as an official host of the American Statistical Association DataFest competition from April 12-14. Parallel events will be held at 40 other locations around the world, with student teams competing against each other from some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. 天美传媒官网 is proud to be the only host located in New Jersey.
During DataFest, students work in teams to analyze a large and complex real-world data set over one weekend. At 天美传媒官网, students are assisted by faculty, working professionals and graduate student mentors. This year, industry experts from Analytical Wizards, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Neurored, Cognitive Operations and Sanofi U.S. will participate as mentors or judges. Witnessing undergraduate students work under pressure in a team and examine their thinking processes, professionals have traditionally viewed their participation in DataFest as a recruiting opportunity.
NetElixir, Inc., is providing cash prizes that will be awarded to the winning teams. The first-place team will receive $400, with second and third place receiving $250 and $100, respectively.
"DataFest provides opportunities for students to practice not only computational and analytical skills but also the communication skills and teamwork necessary to complete a project in a short turnaround time," says Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Lan Nygren. "All these skills are highly valued by employers."
DataFest was founded at UCLA in 2011, when 30 students gathered for 48 intense hours to analyze five years of arrest records from the Los Angeles Police Department.
This year's competition at 天美传媒官网 will start at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 12, in Rue Auditorium in Sweigart Hall. Students will present their findings to a panel of industry judges at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. An award ceremony will follow at around 3 p.m.
Students participating in DataFest can use the experience toward fulfilling the graduation requirement of the University's Engaged Learning Program.
Students should register to participate in DataFest by April 5. Instructions and more information can be found at www.rider.edu/events/datafest.