Frequently Asked Questions
How do I sign up?
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Students can sign up by completing the DataFest@GVSU Registration form. Only one member from each team needs to complete the registration form. On this form, you will be asked to provide your team's name and the name and e-mail address of each team member. Each team member will receive a follow up survey to confirm that they are participating in the event and to ask for some additional information. The registration deadline is midnight on Friday, February 23. You will find out within a few days after the application deadline as to the acceptance status of your team. There is no registration fee.
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Individual students who do not have a team are also welcome to participate. They can complete the registration form (linked above) and we will assign you to a team.
When is the event?
- The weekend of April 5–7; the event starts 5 pm, Friday and will conclude by 5 pm, Sunday.
Where is the event?
- There will be options for students to participate in-person within Mackinac Hall (primarily the first floor of Wing A) on the Allendale Campus of GVSU and remotely. Additional details will be shared closer to the event.
What does the event entail?
- Participating students will be introduced to the source of the data on Friday night. The remainder of the weekend is spent deciding on a research question of interest, preparing the data for analysis, analyzing the data, and preparing a presentation highlighting the findings. Grand Valley is only one of many schools participating in this event which is sponsored by the American Statistical Association (ASA). Weekend competitions run from the middle of March until early May.
Who is eligible to compete?
- Any GVSU undergraduate student is eligible to compete.
After registering, then what?
- The number of participants is limited to 30. Once a team has been accepted to participate, each team member will be asked to provide additional information.
What resources are permissible to use?
- You are welcome to bring your own laptop with any data analysis tools pre-installed; there is no limitation on which software you can use. Make sure there is sufficient room on your laptop for a dataset of approximately 2.0 GB. If you do not have a personal laptop to use, please reach out to the DataFest@GVSU organizers ([email protected]).
What are some of the competition rules?
- Each team has 2–5 team members.
- Team members can work as they are able to throughout the weekend; minimally, each participant is expected to attend the Welcome and Start-up presentation on Friday, March 24 at 5 pm–midnight and on Sunday, March 26 from noon–5 pm.
- It is a competition, but a friendly one, so collaboration between teams is not only allowed but highly encouraged. Official DataFest@GVSU consultants (grad students, faculty, business and industry representatives, etc.) will be available throughout the weekend to provide advice with any questions you might have. Web surfing for information is fine too. Other outside help is not permitted.
- The source of the data will be kept secret until the start of the competition on March 24. After that, all aspects regarding the data must be kept quiet until May 1, 2023, when the last DataFest competition has ended.
What about food?
- A steady supply of food, beverages, and snacks will be provided throughout the weekend!
What do the winning team members receive?
- Presentations are judged in three categories: Best Insight, Best Visualization, and Best Use of External Data. Winning team members will receive complimentary ASA student memberships, medals, certificates and – most importantly – bragging rights!