April 6-7: More than 200 Students to Address Real-World Data Analytics Problem Pertaining to Agriculture in Competition at Minnesota State Mankato

Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition Features Student Teams from Around the Midwest

March 27, 2024 | News Story

Mankato, Minn. – More than 200 students representing 50 teams from universities and colleges throughout the Midwest will compete in the 10th Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition (MUDAC) Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7 at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

During the two-day competition, student teams will work on a real-world data analytics problem pertaining to agriculture in Minnesota. More than 30 faculty advisors will work with the student teams, and 100 industry professionals and educators will judge the competition.

The competition will open at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 6 and close at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 7. Judging will take place on Sunday, April 7.

“We are excited to host this prestigious competition again this year,” said Rajeev Bukralia, associate professor at Minnesota State Mankato and MUDAC competition chair. “This year’s challenge is about agriculture, which is a topic of great value to Minnesota and the surrounding region. We look forward to hosting more than 200 bright students from throughout the Midwest and industry judges from some of the largest companies in the state.”

For more information, please contact Bukralia by email at rajeev.bukralia@mnsu.edu.

Minnesota universities represented include Minnesota State Mankato, the University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State University, Winona State University, Bethel University, St. Olaf College, Gustavus Adolphus College and Carleton College. Teams from the University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa, UW-Platteville, UW-Eau Claire and Dakota State University are among universities and colleges from neighboring states also registered for the competition.

The Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition is dedicated to enhancing the education of undergraduate students who will soon be entering the profession of data science, data analytics, information technology and statistics. It allows participants to showcase their analytical talent and promotes professional development.

MUDAC is a collaborative effort between Minnesota State Mankato, Winona State University and MinneAnalytics. This year’s data sponsor is the Agriculture Utilization Research Institute (AURI).

MUDAC sponsors include MinneAnalytics; the Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence; Christensen Farms; Federated Insurance; and SAS. The Minnesota State Mankato sponsors include the College of Science, Engineering and Technology and the Department of Computer Information Science. The Data Resources for Eager and Analytical Minds (DREAM), a registered student organization with more than 300 students focused on data science and artificial intelligence, provides student volunteers for the event.

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 14,635 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 26 colleges and seven universities.

Categories: News Story