2nd Annual DataFest at NC State

The Data Science Academy (DSA) hosted the second annual DataFest at NC State over the March 31 – April 2 weekend. This interdisciplinary event created a data science community where students and mentors can collaborate on a data science problem for a real client and network during the three-day event.
Thirty-two undergraduate students from NC State, Meredith College and UNC Charlotte registered for DataFest at NC State to compete and collaborate on a secret dataset provided by the American Statistical Association (ASA). Amongst the eight teams, two teams from Meredith College and one student from UNC Charlotte represented their institutions in this friendly and collaborative competition. Several majors were represented throughout the event creating an opportunity for interdisciplinary work to draw insights from the dataset which was revealed on the first night.

Throughout the three-day event, DSA instructors conducted mini workshops for participants to learn more about how to analyze, interpret and present data. In addition, several graduate mentors and faculty members from NC State and Meredith College advised teams as needed.
“I loved the opportunity to explore data analysis with different tools and techniques…”
Julia S., NC State University, Class of 2024

Presentations were judged by faculty members from the NC State Department of Statistics and Meredith College. Each team had a different take on the data provided.
“It was fascinating to see just how many insights can be derived from one dataset and understand the impact they have on the population being represented.”
Wanjiru M., Meredith College, Class of 2024
The event was a fun and collaborative competition. Students were excited by the amount of team work involved in solving a BIG Data set.
“I really enjoyed how collaborative the event was and how much I learned throughout the weekend.”
Vrishank G., NC State University, Class of 2024
All registered participants presented on Sunday. Students were eager to share the insights they gleaned from the data. Their analysis and data stories were clear, concise and supported by the information in the dataset.
As the DSA continues to grow, we hope DataFest at NC State will continue to bring students together from institutions across the state and from majors across the campuses.
DataFest at NC State Awards
Award | Team | Team Members | Institution |
---|---|---|---|
Data Communication | Not So Standard Deviation | Evan Dadson Nicole Berkin George Katsoulis Ericka Council Fernando Lacerda Grandini | NC State |
Data Communication | Stats Club | Olivia Zhang Calvin Chu Ayesha Darekar Edward Cristobal | NC State |
Data Visualization | The Famous Four | Mei Li Moo King Mwende Mumo Stephanie Wairagu Kaelyn Coleman | Meredith College |
Ethical Data Issues | Rsonists | Rebecca Seifert Jenna Abernethy Aryan Shinde Julia Seidel | NC State |
Data Insight | Voracious Visualizers | Emma Brooks Jeannie Hinton Wanjiru Mambo Salma Emjahhed | Meredith College |
Interdisciplinary | Avalanche | Vrishank Ghosh Shlok Dave Samarth Jadia Pranav Chockalingam | NC State |
Data Storytelling | Free Agents | Emma Johnson Ashwin Pandey Ashwini Jha Cam Peters | NC State |
Wolfpack 2030 Strategic Goals & Values | Team 626 | Tyler Southward Saumya Gangwal Zach Richardson Mahesh Bobbadi | NC State |
About DataFest
The American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest is a celebration of data in which teams of undergraduates work around the clock to find and share meaning in a large, rich, and complex data set.
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