MinneMUDAC is open to:

• Students: Undergraduate and graduate students welcome. Please note that you must enter the team name and name/email of a faculty or staff advisor to register. See team guidelines below.
• Faculty/Staff Advisors: Each team requires a faculty or staff advisor to provide guidance throughout the challenge. One advisor may advise up to three student teams. Advisors assisting more than one team must register for each team.
• Judges/Mentors: Share your experience with the next generation of analytics professionals. Industry professionals who would like to judge and provide mentorship may register by selecting the “Judge/Mentor” ticket option.

Student teams must meet the following guidelines:

• Each team requires a faculty or staff advisor to register as well as provide support throughout the competition.
• Teams are limited to five students and one faculty or staff advisor.
• Colleges and universities outside of Minnesota are encouraged to participate.
• MinneAnalytics is able to provide Friday night accommodations for teams traveling two hours or more; however, the number of rooms available is limited. The team faculty advisor must request accommodations during initial registration.
• More than one team from the same college or university may participate. Individual students may only join one team.
• There is a limit to three teams from the same college department.
• Blended teams of students with different majors and skill-sets are encouraged.

Each student team competes in one of three divisions:

• Graduate Division: For teams with advanced data management, data programming, and statistical/analytic skills to support predictive modeling, including at least one graduate student. Any team with one or more Graduate students will automatically be in the Graduate division.
• Undergraduate Division: For undergraduate teams with experience in data management, data programming, and statistical/analytic skills to support predictive modeling.
• Novice Division: For students early in their studies who have limited analytical experience and have limited experience with data management, data programming, and statistical/analytic skills. Any team whose school’s data science program is less than two years may be in the Novice division.

Please note: the Graduate division is not intended for career professionals with extensive experience. We welcome seasoned data pros to participate as competition judges and mentors, not as competitors.

Division level is chosen by the team’s faculty or staff advisor during registration.

Student teams will present their findings in person on October 17. During the first round (9 am-noon), teams have 5-7 minutes to present their model to a series of judging teams. Judges will also have the opportunity to ask questions of each team. Student teams should expect to pitch 4-6 times with each interaction lasting 8-10 minutes. After breaking for lunch, the finalists will present to all the judges.

Stay tuned for details about this year’s challenge and awards.

Participation from professionals from the analytics community is key to the success of the MinneMUDAC competition. Judges/Mentors are grouped into small teams of 3 or 4 (ideally with a business professional, a technologist, and an academic to create a blended mentoring team). If you are a business professional who’s been pitched a presentation before, a technologist who understands computer science and/or math/stats, or an academic who regularly engages students, then you are qualified to be on a judging team. Judges are needed in-person from 9am-noon on October 17. Register on the registration page by selecting the Judge/Mentor option.