ASA DataFest Returns to NC State
On March 28-30, 2025, NC State’s Data Science and AI Academy (DSA) hosted the fourth annual American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest™ on NC State’s campus.
ASA DataFest™ is a competitive undergraduate event where student teams work to find and share meaning in a large, complex dataset. The Data Science and AI Academy (DSA) began hosting DataFest at NC State in 2022 in collaboration with the Department of Statistics. Now a staple DSA event, DataFest 2025 drew 75 students from over 10 disciplines, all eager to tackle a challenging, real-world dataset.
With the support of volunteer mentors and data professionals, 15 teams representing UNC Charlotte, Meredith College, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), and NC State interpreted the surprise dataset, showcasing exceptional teamwork, problem-solving, statistical analysis, and data visualization.
The weekend began with the unveiling of a mystery dataset, sparking a flurry of strategic planning. What followed was an intense period of data analysis, coding, and collaborative problem-solving. Participants described the experience as both demanding and deeply rewarding.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the collaborative aspect of DataFest,” one student remarked. “I not only had a great time working on crunching through data with my teammates, but I also enjoyed taking breaks with them and getting to know them better.”
Another participant, a first-time DataFest attendee, highlighted the practical value of the experience. “I loved collaborating with my team and having creative freedom in the ideas we wanted to convey while also having the technical aspect of data cleaning and programming.”
The breadth of majors represented—from Computer Science and Statistics to Forestry and Business—emphasized the wide applicability of data science skills. Students navigated a complex dataset using a range of analytical tools, effectively merging their individual skills and subject-specific knowledge to create insightful analyses.”It’s a delight to collaborate in a team with diverse skill sets and solve real-world problems that don’t have an answer key” one student noted, “I enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of the event. A special moment was finally realizing the model we worked hard on over the weekend actually worked” said another.
DataFest 2025 was supported by volunteer workshop leaders who provided valuable guidance and expertise. The judges, too, played a crucial role, offering insightful feedback and evaluating the teams’ presentations with careful consideration. Students showcased an inspiring level of camaraderie and analytical thinking, overcoming complex problems with skill and creativity.
DataFest allows students to apply their knowledge and develop new skills. The event demonstrated the importance of data science in a wide range of fields, and the enthusiasm and commitment of the participants highlights the ever-growing interest in this rapidly evolving discipline.
One participant noted, “I truly loved it. It put me into a real-world-like situation with messy data, and now I know how to structure my learning to be able to achieve desired results when put in such a scenario again.”
DSA will continue to catalyze data engagement at NC State by spearheading DataFest, a space where students, professionals, and volunteers converge to explore data together. To learn more and for information on how to get involved with DataFest and other DSA events, visit the DataFest website and connect with DSA Program Specialist Chanel Carrell at ccarrel@ncsu.edu.
DataFest 2025 Award Winners
DataFest 2025 saw impressive data analysis prowess, with students tackling complex datasets and extracting valuable insights. The competition recognized outstanding achievements across key categories:
Data Storytelling Award
- STAT PACK: Amulya Bollapragada, Valerie Kovacs, Domonique Avendano, Leyna Hirko, Riddik Basu
- Fusion Analytics: Joshua Lee, Hutch Smith, Erich Bopp, Grant Ozaki
Data Visualization Award
- FIVE GUYS: Christopher Elchik, Austin Farrand, Peter Ising, Brandon Troy, Zack Haugan
- Dataholics: Anubhav Bhadoria, Abhinav Avasarala, Sagnik Saha, Sriya Venkat, Sanchit Shah
Data Insights Award
- The Outliers: Alexis Chan, Hannah Olzak, Jalen Franklin, Harvik Kolla
- Data Bites: Kristika Sedai, Ellie Lang, Narim Lee
Data Connections Award
- Runtime Terror: Aishwarya Radhakrishnan, Abhi Biju Avasarala, Eric Fackelman, Clara Dimaro
- The Blue Buffoons: Kenzo Hubert, Hugh Glen, Everett Tucker
Data Communications Award
- Datavengers: Aaliyah Powell, Laina Cleaton, Yeonwoo Joung
- Giga Biters: Joon Yu, Holden McLennan, Dempsey Stygles, Manaka Green, Alisa Sample
Interdisciplinary Award
- Data Dragons: Nidhi Grover, Pranav Kale, Ashwin Pandey, J Sanchez-Collins
Uncertainty Quantification Award
- Wayne Fontana and the K-Nearest Neighbors: Rebecca Seifert, Aasrith Upadhyayula, Selin Yalcin
Data Science Analytics Award
- Indecision Tree: Jenna Abernethy, Carter Harrington, Sam Gray, Adam Cui
- The Data Scientists: Connor Fischer, Benjamin Uy, Patrik Parkkila
