SAVE THE DATE!

While DataFest is a competition, the main goal of the event is to promote collaboration. See testimonials from past participants:

As a result of the 2018 DataFest, we started a Technology Student Association where students work on technology problems, enter competitions (such as Emory’s DataFest).  The group has grown from the 5 who attended last year to over 30 students" — Jeff Kent; Teacher, Wheeler High School, GA

"Datafest was a great opportunity to experience what real world data analysis entails. By getting the chance to work on a large company dataset, Datafest participants can understand the challenges and rewards of discovering insights from big data. Working in teams in Datafest also promoted a great sense of meaning and collaboration in our analysis work. Datafest was a rewarding experience that provides lots of help along the way so I encourage anyone interested in data analysis to come and participate." 
— 2015 DataFest @ Emory Participant

TBA

Your Sponsorship Makes An Enormous Difference!

By sponsoring Datafest, you are supporting young data scientists and providing them an opportunity to experience data analysis in the wild.

Ways to Sponsor

• Financial Contributor - We appreciate your interest in helping us grow the data science community.
• Judge - Datafest is a competition. Judges evaluate the student presentations on creativity and technical skill, and they determine which teams win fame, glory, PRIZES, and bragging rights. 
• Consultant - Share your expertise, interact with and mentor students, brainstorm with them, and provide statistical, computational, or application-specific guidance.

Registration will open Jan 2020

Registration for DataFest 2020 will open in January 2020

March 20 – March 22, 2020 @ New Emory Student Center

Do students have to stay the entire time?

No. You may come and go as you please. However, you are not allowed to work on the project except while you are on DataFest™ grounds, and at least 3 members of your team must attend the introduction on Friday night.

What were past DataFest™ competitions at Emory like?

This is the 5th year QTM has hosted DataFest Emory. Our first year participating was in 2014. You can see pictures from past DataFests throughout this page!

While DataFest™ is a competition, the main goal of the event is to promote collaboration. Sharpen your skills by participating in DataFest!

Anything else I should know about DataFest™? 

DataFest™ is 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.

What do I need to compete?

A laptop and familiarity with tools for data analysis (there is no limitation on which software you use) and enthusiasm for data. You may also find it useful to bring scrap paper, a pencil, and/or a graphing calculator.

What are the rules of the competition?

The rules are very simple:

• Teams must be composed of 3-5 undergraduate members. Selected high schoolers will form their own teams and register through their schools.
• Team members can come and go as they please but all work has to be done on-site. A steady supply of food, beverage, and candy make it more inviting to stay. Students have gone full steam into the wee hours of the night/morning, or just worked business hours. It's up to you!
• The data may not leave the competition site. The data we work with is proprietary to a real, live company.
• It's a competition, but a friendly one, so information sharing between teams is not only allowed but highly encouraged. Official DataFest consultants (grad students, faculty, etc.) will also be around throughout the weekend to help with any questions you might have. However, you may not get help from people who are not involved in DataFest.

When you say prizes, what do you mean?

We're talking about cash prizes for your team! 

• $40 Amazon Gift card to each team member for Best Insight, Best Use of External Data, Best Visualization, and Best Overall (Judge's choice).

Do students have to stay the entire time?

No. You may come and go as you please. However, you are not allowed to work on the project except while you are on DataFest™ grounds, and at least 3 members of your team must attend the introduction on Friday night.

What were past DataFest™ competitions at Emory like?

This is the 5th year QTM has hosted DataFest Emory. Our first year participating was in 2014. You can see pictures from past DataFests throughout this page!

While DataFest™ is a competition, the main goal of the event is to promote collaboration. Sharpen your skills by participating in DataFest!

Anything else I should know about DataFest™? 

DataFest™ is 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.

What do I need to compete?

A laptop and familiarity with tools for data analysis (there is no limitation on which software you use) and enthusiasm for data. You may also find it useful to bring scrap paper, a pencil, and/or a graphing calculator.

What are the rules of the competition?

The rules are very simple:

• Teams must be composed of 3-5 undergraduate members. Selected high schoolers will form their own teams and register through their schools.
• Team members can come and go as they please but all work has to be done on-site. A steady supply of food, beverage, and candy make it more inviting to stay. Students have gone full steam into the wee hours of the night/morning, or just worked business hours. It's up to you!
• The data may not leave the competition site. The data we work with is proprietary to a real, live company.
• It's a competition, but a friendly one, so information sharing between teams is not only allowed but highly encouraged. Official DataFest consultants (grad students, faculty, etc.) will also be around throughout the weekend to help with any questions you might have. However, you may not get help from people who are not involved in DataFest.

When you say prizes, what do you mean?

We're talking about cash prizes for your team! 

• A Gift card to each team member for Best Insight, Best Use of External Data, Best Visualization, and Runner-Up.

Further Questions?

Please don't hesitate to contact us!