The Tenth Annual Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition
24-hour data analytics challenge
April 6-7, 2024
Organized by Minnesota State University, Mankato
About
Get involved at MUDAC 2024!
We are excited to announce that MUDAC 2024 will take place on April 6-7 at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
MUDAC, the Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition, is an exciting and prestigious data science challenge that has a strong tradition since 2012. After a multi-year hiatus due to Covid, we are delighted to host this event again!
Throughout its history, MUDAC has provided thousands of students with the opportunity to solve complex data problems, sponsored by industry partners. This rigorous 24-hour, non-stop competition showcases academic talent, innovative thinking, and resilience. In 2024, we anticipate welcoming hundreds of outstanding students from numerous universities across the Midwest. MUDAC is a collaborative effort led by Minnesota State University, Winona State University, and MinneAnalytics. This competition is dedicated to enhancing the education of undergraduate students who
will soon be entering the data science/data analytics profession. MUDAC allows participants
to showcase their analytical talent and promotes professional development.
MUDAC is a rigorous and prestigious competition. The 2019 and 2020 editions, hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato, attracted hundreds of undergraduates from dozens of colleges and universities across the Midwest. In 2019, students tackled a complex data challenge concerning Minnesota's water quality. The 2020 event focused on improving Minnesota courts, with Thomson Reuters as the data sponsor.
Due to limited capacity, each institution can register up to three undergraduate teams and one graduate team. Each team must consist of 2-5 students. We have space for a maximum of 40 undergraduate teams and 10 graduate teams, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. If more than 50 teams register, we will keep a waiting list and teams on the waiting list will be invited to the competition as spots become available (due to cancellation or a lack of payment). The registration deadline is set for April 1, 2024. However, please be aware that MUDAC reserves the right to close registration early if we reach the maximum team capacity before this deadline. The registration fee is $50 per team, plus an Eventbrite processing fee.
Only faculty advisors or their administrative designee can register student teams. After a team is registered through Eventbrite, the faculty advisors will receive instructions on how to assign individual students to their respective teams.
The team registration is now closed.
Payment
The cost of registration is $50 per student team plus Eventbrite processing fee. We prefer payment by credit card through Eventbrite. However, if paying by
check, payment must be received before April 1, 2024. Make checks payable to Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Mail payment to:
MUDAC (Attn: Steph Warning)
Department of Computer Information Science
Minnesota State University
273 Wissink Hall
Mankato, MN 56001
Cancellation/Refund Policy
Cancellations requested on or prior to March 29, 2024, will be eligible for a
refund of the registration fee (minus processing fee). After March 29, 2024, however no refunds will be issued.
Judge Registration
Judge registration has sold out.
MUDAC is in need of industry professionals and college/high school faculty to serve as judges on Sunday, April 7, 2024. Judge check-in and breakfast will start at 8:30 AM, with judge orientation scheduled for 9:15 AM, and the final round ending around 3 PM. If necessary, judges can participate in just the first round, which ends around 12:15 PM. Judges do not need to prepare for the competition in advance. They do not need to be experts in data science, statistics, or agriculture; industry professionals from any background are welcome. Each judge team will include at least one industry professional and one academic professional. If you are an industry professional, we will place you in a team that includes at least one academic, and vice versa. We will provide detailed information about the data challenge and grading rubric during judge orientation.
MUDAC brings together professionals from various fields, providing an excellent opportunity to network with peers, educators, industry leaders, and students. As a judge, you have the chance to inspire and encourage students who are passionate about data science and related fields. Your feedback can significantly influence their future career choices and interest in data science and related fields. For industry professionals, observing the creativity and dedication of students at MUDAC can be immensely rewarding, especially in terms of identifying and recruiting top talent for their organizations.
Judge registration is available at no cost. Throughout the day, lunch, snacks, and coffee will be provided.
Judge registration has sold out.
Event Schedule
The event schedule will be available soon. Generally, the event will start at 8:30 am on Saturday, April 6, 2024, and will conclude around 3:30 pm on Sunday, April 7, 2024.
Rules
CONTEST RULES
All participants must be willing to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the data, if required. All results and conclusions may not be publicized in any form without written consent from the data sponsor.
All work must be completed in the designated space and time frame for the contest.
Participants may seek guidance from the following
Contest Coordinators
Designated Faculty Advisors (though this guidance will be limited to designated times)
Any learning resource (e.g. textbooks, course notes, wiki pages, software documentation, sample code, websites, etc.)
Any communication with anyone not directly involved with the competition is strictly prohibited.
WRITTEN SUMMARY RULES
The written summary should clearly describe your approach to the problem, with a prominent focus on your most important conclusions. More information about the rules will be provided soon.
ORAL PRESENTATION RULES
The information regarding the rules for the oral presentation will be provided soon on this website.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who may participate and what exactly constitutes a team?
A team consists of 2-5 undergraduate or gradute students. If an institution has too few (or too many) students to form teams of 2-5 people, the organizers will place any extra students into a team from another institution so that they can participate in the competition. Each team must consist exclusively of either undergraduate or graduate students; a mix of undergraduate and graduate students within the same team is not allowed. The challenge questions for graduate teams will feature additional complexity and rigor.
Is there a registration fee?
For MUDAC 2024, a registration fee of $50 plus processing fee per student team will be required to help cover expenses.
When will you open student team registration?
The online registration process will open on January 22, 2024 through Eventbrite.
How do I register my team(s)?
Initial team registration will be initiated by the faculty advisor of the team(s). Please visit the registration page for further details.
Is there a registration deadline?
Yes. For MUDAC 2024, all participants must register and pay the registration fee by Monday, April 1, 2024. Due to space limitations, we may close registration at an earlier time.
Is there a limit on how many teams a school can enter?
A maximum of three undergrduate teams and one graduate team per university/college will be allowed to register. Requests for additional teams will be considered if there are still spaces open.
What resources will be provided for each participant?
Each team will be provided with:
An independent workspace (most likely a classroom)
Snacks and beverages
Lunch on Saturday and Sunday
Breakfast on Sunday
Dinner on Saturday evening
Will sleeping arrangements be made for the students?
No formal sleeping arrangements will be made for students; however, we encourage students to bring a sleeping bag / pillow so that they can get some rest during the event.
If a faculty advisor is unable to attend the event, can they still provide some guidance to their students virtually?
Yes, limited guidance can be provided by advisors virtually. Advisors will be asked to adhere to an Honor Code to ensure fairness.
Will sleeping arrangements be made for faculty advisors?
Faculty advisors will need to make their own hotel arrangements. Below is contact information for some Mankato hotels. There are additional hotels in the area and can be found by doing a quick search for Mankato hotels.
AmericInn (Close to the campus. Tel.: 507-413-7360)
Reference materials (helpful textbooks, notes from past classes, etc.)
A sleeping bag
A water bottle, garments, a toiletries bag, medicines, a cell phone
Lots of energy!
Who are the judges?
Judges will consist of faculty from the various institutions, industry representatives, and domain experts.
When do you need the judges?
The judges are needed from 8:30 am to 4 pm on Sunday, April 7, 2024. This exciting event will be an opportunity to help students enrich their analytics skills and to network with academics and industry professionals from throughout the Midwest and industry professionals from Mankato, the Twin Cities, and the surrounding area. Lunch and snacks will be provided to the judges.
What are the competition guidelines?
All participants and advisors may need to sign a confidentiality agreement prior to the start of the competition, which will be done when teams check in on Saturday morning.
The integrity of the competition is of utmost importance, so faculty advisors will be able to provide only limited guidance to their students throughout this competition. The expectation is that students, not faculty advisors, are directing and completing the work. Finally, to ensure that all teams are making progress toward meeting the competition goals, all participants meet as a large group at specific time periods to obtain data briefings.
What level of statistics and computing background is necessary?
This data-intensive competition requires that all participating teams have completed at least one college course in statistics and/or computer programming. Additionally, teams should be proficient in handling large datasets using standard data analytics software, such as SAS, JMP, Minitab, R, Python, Tableau, or SPSS. However, having an advanced analytics background or experience in data science or statistics does not guarantee success. Historically, competition winners have stood out for their innovation, creativity in summaries and visualizations, and the ability to communicate their findings in a clear, understandable manner.
How many divisions are there this year?
Teams can compete in one of three divisions: novice, undergraduate, and graduate. The novice division is meant for students who are generally freshmen and have taken just one course in either statistics, computer programming, or both. The undergraduate division is meant for students who have taken more than one course in statistics or data science. A team should register in the graduate division if it has one or more graduate students in it. After the faculty advisor or their designee has registered the team, they will be provided with information about assigning individual students to a team and division.
What can you tell me about this year's data challenge?
The tradition at MUDAC is that we never disclose the data challenge or provide access to the data in advance. This practice ensures the rigor for which MUDAC is known. The only information we disclose prior to the competition is the identity of the data sponsor, which is the Agriculture Utilization Research Institute (AURI).
My faculty advisor has registered our team. When will we get information about the next steps?
Expect to receive an email at the address your advisor has provided to us by April 1. However, please plan to arrive by 8:30 AM on the day of the event (April 6), at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The email will include additional details, such as parking information.
Data Visualization First Place: University of Minnesota, Duluth (team 52)
Data Visualization Second Place: Minnesota State University, Mankato (team 56)
MUDAC 2024 Winners
First Place - Undergraduate Division: Carleton College (Team# U004)
Cynthia Leng, Kai Zhang, Yichi Song, Yixuan (Tori) Shen, Zhanghan Ni
Faculty Advisors: Deepak Bastola and Adam Loy
Undergraduate Division First Place - Carleton College (Team# U004)
First Place - Graduate Division: University of Minnesota (Team# G001)
Daniela Beckelhymer, Frank Cole, Irene Noharinaivo, Michael Thomas, Ty Frazier
Faculty Advisor: Gilad Lerman
Graduate Division First Place - University of Minnesota (Team# G001)
The first round rankings and scores have been sent to the student teams and their advisors.
