Students compete in virtual Data Analytics competition March 28-29

Despite social distancing orders keeping them at home, 10 St. Cloud State University students participated in the virtual Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition hosted March 28-29 by Minnesota State University, Mankato. 

St. Cloud State participants included: Team 1, Amber Wieberdink, Adam Kust and Mike Fiskewold and Team 2, Muuzaani Nkhoma and Abdinur Muqtar and Team 3: Hamza Junaid, Anna Nelson, Nicholas Pajek, Claude Lee and Nazinmuddin Shaikh. 

More than 200 students representing 50 teams from universities and colleges throughout the Midwest participated in the competition, which is usually a 24-hour on-site event. MSU, Mankato was able to move the event to be a completely online to comply with social distancing orders while still giving students a chance to compete. Student teams worked on real-world data analytics problems pertaining to the judicial system. More than 30 faculty advisers worked with the student teams and 75 industry professionals and educators judged the competition. Results will be announced soon. 

St. Cloud State students have participated for the past seven years. 

“This competition gives students a taste of what real-world data analysis is,” Wieberdink said. “You get to come across a lot of challenges that you don’t see in the classroom and the biggest part of the competition is figuring out how to handle these challenges.” 

This was Wieberdink’s third year competing in the Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition. 

“MUDAC was still extremely fun and challenging,” she said. “Participating from home this year was different, it posed its own technological challenges. … The hardest part of the competition this year was having to work together but not being able to be in the same room to communicate.” 

Wieberdink said the competition leaders were good about answering questions and helping with technological issues that arose. 

“Even if you don’t have a lot of data analysis experience, MUDAC is something to consider,” she said. “It gives you a look into what data analysis truly is. It is an extremely fun competition.” 

Students from Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Kansas competed in this year’s event.