Emily VanderMey, a senior at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, was part of a data science team that took first place at nationals. VanderMey is a senior multimedia major and a graduate of Elizabethtown Area High School.
Her team of undergraduate students from Point Park University won the national GfK NextGen Data Science Hackathon Competition, earning a cash award.
For the competition, GfK challenged students to develop strategic recommendations for a new theoretical smart car product that would leverage digital technology. Based on current worldwide concerns about viruses like COVID-19 as well as other airborne diseases and pollutants, Ibrokhim Mirzakhonov, Sabrina Tatalias, and VanderMey developed a product that would use HEPA air filtration and ultraviolet light to help eliminate allergens, organisms that can cause diseases, and impurities inside of cars.
The four finalist teams in the competition virtually presented their proposals to a panel of judges made up of GfK data science experts and three GfK clients from major auto manufacturers.
Students were assessed on a variety of criteria, focusing both on data skills and business intelligence, with Point Park's team delivering the strongest combination of specific recommendations, clear data support and presentation skills.
The competition's second place team consisted of students from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, who proposed a car safety product supported by Google data streams.
Dorene Ciletti, associate professor of marketing and sales, served as a mentor for the students, along with Mark Voortman, assistant professor and director of Point Park's IT program.
For more information, readers may visit http://www.pointpark.edu/news-business/National-Winners-Point-Park-Students-Awarded-5,000-for-First-Place-Finish-in-GfK-NextGen-Data-Science-Competition.
Leave a Review