Four students from LSBE’s Marketing Analytics Program (MAP) won first place for data visualization in the eighth annual Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition (MUDAC) on March 30 and 31. This is the first time that an LSBE team has secured a first place win at MUDAC.
Tucker Hazzard, Joey Kmiec, Camryn Monzo, and Austin Steinmetz traveled to Minnesota State University Mankato to compete against 58 other Midwest teams where the teams spent 24 hours working on a two-part data analytics problem and were judged on their work. This year’s data was provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on water quality.
After two rounds of judging before six different panels of judges, the LSBE team was awarded first place in data visualization. An overall MUDAC winner is also selected.
“MUDAC provides the opportunity for students to apply classwork in a high pressure situation,” said Pushkar Raj, marketing analytics director. “Students truly own this experience. They rely on each other’s judgement and expertise to perform the analysis and present it.”
The four-person team used the individual skills from each member to the team’s best advantage. “Camryn has strong data visualization skills,” said Kmiec, a junior marketing analytics major. “Tucker and I have a good understanding of building statistical models, and Austin is very good at bringing our story together.”
“We were working on real-life water resource data to provide solutions to a problem that hasn’t been fully solved yet,” said Hazzard, a junior who is pursuing a double major in marketing analytics and finance. “It’s possible that the student ideas from the competition may be applied toward the problem.”
Building on the concepts and analytical techniques used in class, Raj also organized three out-of-class sessions to introduce advanced analytical approaches to the students.
“Participating in these intensely rewarding competitions helps students in so many ways,” said Monzo, a senior with a marketing analytics and linguistics double major, who recommends all students should seek out these opportunities. “It’s a great resume builder. Businesses are interested in students who take the extra effort to go beyond college curriculum, putting themselves out there and competing with like-minded individuals.”
“Whether you’re competitive or not,” added Steinmetz, a junior with a marketing analytics major, “the people you meet, the real-world experience you grasp, and the memories you make outweigh even the hardest of struggles. There are only upsides to competitions like these.”
Photo: Austin Steinmetz, Camryn Monzo, Tucker Hazzard, Joey Kmiec
Learn more about the Marketing Analytics program.