Students were challenged to explain datasets through programming, compete in different categories and showcase their programming skills to local businesses at Binghamton University’s Data Science and Analytics’ (BUDSA) first Datathon.
BUDSA is a campus-based group that focuses on using computer languages like Python, Excel, R and SQL to analyze data. According to the organization’s founder and president, Lydia King, a senior double-majoring in mathematics and economics, BUDSA did not originally plan on hosting a Datathon this year, but after 250 students attended its general interest meeting, it decided to hold the event.
The 12-hour Datathon involved students writing programs, a script that outputs data, models and scripts that predict certain data in order to organize or explain datasets, some of which were provided by local businesses with problems they hope to solve.
Nathan Kwon, ‘17, the senior executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Live in Bing, a local business that helps students find off-campus housing, spoke at the event and emphasized the many applications of data science, both within his organization and in other fields.
“There’s more advanced data in a lot of projects going on,” Kwon said. “For example, using machines to keep track of real-time property management, and also climate statistics too can get a better idea of extreme weather for your predictive maintenance.”
Live in Bing plans on hiring four interns out of BUDSA this summer for data analysis and data science. Its data set listed housing prices and it asked students to create a model that could predict them. Peter Malinverni and Jeremy Goetz, both seniors majoring in physics, worked on the housing data set for Live in Bing and said they hoped to get noticed by local businesses at the event.
“I’m looking for a summer job, so it is a possible opportunity for that,” Goetz said.
Students were judged in 11 different categories, with one winner chosen from each. Some were sponsor categories, consisting of Live in Bing’s housing prices, Rx Refund’s data on drug prices and the BU political science department’s data set on major political unrest since 1990. Unsponsored categories included best overall, funniest, novice and social impact.
According to King, one of the club’s goals is to facilitate community outreach between BUDSA members and local businesses.
“There’s this disconnect between what good-paying jobs exist and people who don’t have the skills,” King said. “They used our tutorials as the basis for what they are creating for the local Binghamton community.”
Josh Eimer, a sophomore double-majoring in computer science and mathematics and the chief financial officer of BUDSA, said the Datathon gave students the opportunity to learn about what to expect once they leave school.
“This is important for preparing people to leave the University because a lot of people get their degree and then go into the real world and they have no idea what they are doing or how to go about doing things,” Eimer said. “So we give people skills, a place to practice their skills and then networking opportunities, in some cases even internships.”
Seniors Andy Wang, majoring in mathematics; Ziaf Khan, majoring in actuarial science; Daniel Kim, majoring in actuarial science; and Joe Prato, a junior majoring in actuarial science, won the Live in Bing sponsored category.
The winners for the best overall category were first-year graduate students Naveen Balaji Murali, studying systems science and industrial engineering; Abhinaya Ravi, studying computer science; Narasimha Prasath Krishnan, studying systems science and industrial engineering; and Piruthviraj Angamuthu Selvaraju, studying computer science. Their project looked at data and ranked energy plants across the United States.
The winners in each category had their choice of gift cards from local businesses, such as Cold Stone Creamery and Subway.
According to King, the event would not have been possible without support from the University and local community.
“We fundraised $5,000,” King said. “A lot of University departments and local businesses, who absolutely love the idea of the University getting involved in data science and analytics, we’ve just had overwhelming support from the community.”