DataFest 2024
At the University of Notre Dame
Sponsored by the American Statistical Association
Event Details
The American Statistical Association's DataFest 2024 will take place at the University of Notre Dame on March 22nd through March 24th. This will be an in person event and we hope to be able to invite our neighbors at IUSB, Holy Cross and St. Mary's to join us as well.
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When: March 22 - 24
Where: Hayes Healy Basement
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On Friday we will start with a reception where your surprise client will give a brief introduction to the data you will be working with over the weekend and tell you a bit about what they would like to get out of it. The data will likely be much more complex than what you are used to seeing in your classes, and you will be given free reign to analyze it however you like. In other words, you will come up with a research question that is of interest to you, and conduct the appropriate analysis to answer your question. But you are welcomed, and encouraged, to take cues from the client's introduction when shaping your research question(s).
Groups will submit short video presentations and our judges will take about week to decide on our winners. Each team will give a brief (6 minute) presentation of their findings to a panel of judges comprised of faculty and professionals from a variety of fields. There will be prizes in many categories, such as best visualization, best use of external data, and best findings. A finalized list of categories will be announced at the beginning of the competition.
​ASA DataFest is a data analysis competition where teams of of two to five students attack a large, complex, and surprise dataset over a weekend. Your job is to represent your school by finding and communicating insights into these data. The teams that impress the judges will win prizes as well as glory for their school. DataFest is a great learning opportunity and lots of fun!
ASA DataFest is also a great opportunity to gain experience that employers are looking for. Having worked on a data analysis problem at this scale will certainly help make you a good candidate for any position that involves analysis and critical thinking, and it will provide a concrete example to demonstrate your experience during interviews.
ASA DataFest at Notre Dame is organized by the Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics Department.
What is DataFest?
Schedule of Events
Friday, March 22
Welcome!
Hayes Healy Basement
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​6:15 pm - 6:30pm: Pick up t-shirts and name tags
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6:30 pm: Kickoff & Meet the data
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6:45 pm: Dinner - TBD
Saturday, March 23
Carry on!
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Work all day. Outside perspectives can be great. Bounce an idea off of a mentor or two!
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12:30 pm: Lunch is served. - TBD
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1:00 pm: Quiz Show and group picture
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6:00 pm: Dinner is served. - TBD
Sunday, March 24
​Wrap up!
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Continue working. Our mentors are still available!
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9:30 am: Brunch is served. - TBD
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2:00 pm: Final video submissions and one page paper need to be turned in on the Google Drive.
Tuesday, April 2
Judges will have reported their decision to the Notre Dame Data Fest coordinators. Winners will be announced via email around 5 pm. Judges feedback will be released to teams at this time as well. Remember to keep the data a secret until May!
Sponsors
