Sinclair Community College Celebrates and Recognizes ASA DataFest Competition Champions

Sinclair Community College is celebrating the winners of its second annual American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest Student Competition held at the Centerville campus. Four student teams took top honors during a special awards ceremony held on Saturday, April 6, 2024.

During the competition, students divided into teams to analyze and find meaning in large and complex datasets. Sinclair Computer Information Systems (CIS), Information Technology (IT), Math, Marketing, Design, and Communication-related majors and certificate programs are welcome to participate. The students also receive guidance from faculty and industry partners.

The winners of Sinclair’s ASA DataFest 2024 Competition are:

Best In Show:

Team EXCEL-lent
Charles Ritter
April Littleton

Best Storytelling and Presentation

Team DataDivers
Louis Jahnigen
Matthias Hamm
Spencer McNally
Ayodele Ogunsakin
(Not pictured)

Judges Award

Team Byte-Me
Lesly Niviayo Quintero
Corrinne Torpey
Rafael Ceotto

Organizers Award

Team Spreadsheet Spartans
Tomoya Suzuki
Joshua Nelson

DataFest is an international data analytics event for college students sponsored by the American Statistics Association (ASA) and hosted locally by Sinclair.

This year, Sinclair’s event was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant ‘Expanding the Data Analytics Technician Pipeline from High School into College and High Demand Jobs in Southwest Ohio.’

Data literacy is the ability to read, write, communicate, and reason with data. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of data scientists and analysts is projected to grow 35% through the year 2032, with approximately 17,700 openings projected each year.

“In today's data-driven world, data literacy is no longer a privilege, it's a necessity," said Paul Hansford, Associate Professor – Sinclair College Computer Science and Information Technology Department. “These foundational skills are crucial for success in the 21st century and open doors to exciting careers in data science and analytics. However, participation in these high-growth fields lags, especially among underrepresented groups in STEM. This NSF grant will address this critical need by expanding data literacy programs in high schools and building a clear career path from high school to college."

Sinclair’s competition featured keynote speaker Dr. David Bodary, Chair – Sinclair Community College Department of Communication.

More than 50 colleges and universities will hold ASA DataFest Competitions over the next several weeks. Sinclair has joined this elite group to provide an exciting and competitive event to allow students to showcase their data skills.

Over the past five years, nearly 2,400 Sinclair Community College students have earned computer science and information technology degrees and certifications. Sinclair has also introduced several new courses to prepare students for in-demand careers including Intro to Data Literacy, Advanced Python for Data Analytics, and Intro to Data Science.

To learn more about program offerings, visit Sinclair.edu/Computer-Information.