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Slideshow

UGA Data Science Competition 2021

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Industry Day Brochure

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Competition

The UGA Department of Statistics is pleased to organize the inaugural Data Science Competition jointly with Data Scientists from Wells Fargo. The competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in data science. There will be two separate streams, one for undergraduates and another for graduates. Participants will compete in teams of 3 to 4 students.

The top two undergraduate and graduate teams will receive cash prizes, thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Mohamad Al Lawati (UGA 1990 MS Statistics Graduate).

 

Organizers

Abhyuday Mandal, University of Georgia

T.N. Sriram, University of Georgia

Cash Prizes
Undergraduate Teams Graduate Teams
First Place: $2,000 First Place: $2,000
Second Place: $1,000 Second Place: $1,000

The competition involves developing a model that can potentially be used by a financial institution to approve credit-card applications. You will have access to a dataset with historical information, and you have to analyze the data and develop a model using data science and machine learning techniques. You have to write a report describing your results and also present the results virtually to judges from UGA and Wells Fargo.

Important Dates
  • Team Registration: March 3, 2021 to March 18, 2021
  • Competition: March 24, 2021 – April 15, 2021
  • Project submission deadline: April 15, 2021: 5 pm EST

Eligibility & Rules

  • The contest is open to all current UGA undergraduate and graduate students.
  • The competition is organized into two separate streams: undergraduates and graduates.
  • Students must participate in teams of 3 to 4 members.
  • The teams must be made up entirely of either undergraduate students or graduate students; a team cannot contain a mix of undergraduate and graduate students.
  • No faculty mentors are allowed for the graduate teams.
  • Faculty members will be assigned by the organizers to the undergraduate teams.

How to Register

  • Groups of 3 to 4 students can organize themselves into teams. A designated member from each team should complete and submit the registration form by March 18.
  • If you are interested in participating but do not have a team or have fewer than 3 or 4 team members, please fill out the registration form with the information you have, and we will pair you up with others.

Access to Dataset

Once all registrations are complete, each team will be given access to a Data Science Competition course site on eLC. This site will provide you with access to the dataset and also provide additional information on the competition. Please stay tuned for more details on the eLC competition course page.

Project Deliverables

Teams will be required to submit:

  • A 15-page report of their data analysis, model(s) developed, and description of how the models can be used to approve credit-card applications.
  • A 12-page deck of presentation slides
Additional Dates to Remember:
  • Information and Q&A Sessions: March 24, March 29, and April 5, 2021
  • Project Assessment Presentations: April 19-23, 2021
  • Announcement of Top Teams: April 26, 2021
  • Industry Day, Presentations, and Awarding of Prizes: April 28, 2021

Information and Q&A Sessions

  • Wells Fargo Data Scientists will hold Information Sessions on March 24 and March 29, 2021 to describe the dataset and provide background on the problem.
  • There will be an additional Q&A session April 5, 2021, during the competition, where participants can ask additional questions and get clarifications.
  • UGA faculty members will also be available during the course of the competition to answer questions via email and hold office hours.

Project Assessment Presentations: April 19 - April 23, 2021

Each team will make a 30-minute virtual presentation of their projects during the period April 19 to April 23, 2021 to UGA and Wells Fargo judges.

Announcement of Top Teams: April 26, 2021

The top two teams in each of the Undergraduate and Graduate streams will be announced on April 26, 2021. 

Industry Day: April 28, 2021

  • The Department of Statistics will host an Industry Day on April 28, 2021.
  • The winning teams will give virtual presentations of their projects during this event.
  • Businesses interested in collaborating with the Department of Statistics and looking to recruit employees with data analysis skills will be represented at this event.
  • In addition, many UGA administrators will be present at this meeting.
  • At the conclusion of the event, the cash prizes will be presented by the sponsor: Dr. Mohamad Al Lawati.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Abhyuday Mandal at amandal@stat.uga.edu

Sponsored by:

Dr. Al Lawati Academic Enhancement Fund

   Dr. Al Lawati          DS5

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