More than 200 students representing 50 teams from universities and colleges throughout the Midwest, including Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Kansas, will compete in the ninth annual Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition (MUDAC) Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29. The competition will be hosted completely online by Minnesota State University, Mankato.

During the two-day competition, student teams will work on a real-world data analytics problem pertaining to the judicial system. More than 30 faculty advisors will work with the student teams, and 75 industry professionals and educators will judge the competition.

Due to the COVID-19 situation, it was decided to organize this year’s event completely online. The competition will open at 8 a.m. Central time Saturday, March 28 and will close at 5 p.m. Central time Sunday, March 29. The online format will allow students and judges to work remotely. Judging will also take place electronically the week following the competition. Community members interested in volunteering as a competition judge can sign up here.

“We are excited to host this prestigious competition again this year. MUDAC 2019 was a great success, which was held at Minnesota State Mankato and focused on Minnesota water quality,” said Rajeev Bukralia, associate professor at Minnesota State Mankato and MUDAC competition chair. “This year’s challenge about the judicial system is a topic of great societal value. We look forward to organizing this great learning event online, which will engage over 200 bright students from throughout the Midwest.”

Minnesota universities represented include Minnesota State Mankato, the University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State University, Winona State University and Carlton College. Teams from the University of Wisconsin, Iowa State University, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and North Dakota State University are among the universities and colleges 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 high-demand profession of data science/data analytics. It allows participants to showcase their analytical talent and promotes professional development.

MUDAC is a collaborative effort between Minnesota State University, Mankato; Winona State University; and MinneAnalytics. This year’s data sponsor is Thomson Reuters.

MUDAC sponsors also include MinneAnalytics; Dell Technologies; the Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence; Thomson Reuters; Federated Insurance and the following Minnesota State Mankato sponsors: College of Science, Engineering & Technology; College of Business; College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Career Development Center; Data Resources for Eager and Analytical Minds (DREAM) registered student organization.

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