Third Annual DataFest at NC State
By Olivia Rojas
The DSA hosted the third annual DataFest at NC State, held over the weekend of April 5-7. Sponsored by Vanguard, this interdisciplinary event fostered a vibrant data science community, providing students and mentors with the opportunity to collaborate on real-world data science challenges for clients and to network extensively throughout the three-day event.
Fifty-two undergraduate students from NC State, Meredith College and UNC Charlotte participated in DataFest at NC State. This event not only served as a collaborative competition for students but also it provided students with a hands-on learning opportunity with a project that included actual datasets, everyday obstacles and tangible outcomes.
“We’ve learned the process and flow of analyzing data,” says Frances LeMond, a junior at NC State. “That is to investigate the data, brain dump as many questions as we can about the data and then focus on feasibility later. The biggest thing is to just get creative with what we’re doing.”
Over the course of the three-day event, DSA instructors facilitated workshops, offering students invaluable information on data analysis, visualizations and presentation techniques. Graduate student mentors and faculty members from NC State and Vanguard were on hand to provide guidance and support to teams whenever necessary.
Students were excited by the amount of teamwork involved in solving the challenge and thought it was interesting to see everyone’s individual strengths and knowledge.
“In the work environment, it’s really important to work with others — especially in the data science arena,” said Kaelyn Coleman, a senior at Meredith College.
On Sunday, all registered participants took the stage to present their findings. Students were excited and eager to share the insights they had extracted from the data.
In addition to DataFest, the DSA hosts similar events and programs throughout the academic year in order to prepare students for careers in data science by offering practical experience, fostering collaboration and providing exposure to the industry.
- Categories: