Teradata University Network Names 13 Finalists in International Big Data Talent Competitions

ATLANTA, Sept. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Finalists for the Teradata University Network business analytics competitions have been selected and will advance to two final rounds of the juried contest in October. The Business Analytics and Data Challenge competitions are sponsored by Teradata Corp. (NYSE: TDC), the big data analytics and marketing applications company. Finalists represent universities from the Australia, Canada, Thailand, and the United States. The international contest is held to advance the use of analytics in business and recognizes students with superior analytics education and academic excellence. 

Finalists will take part in the remaining rounds of the competition at the 30^th annual Teradata PARTNERS conference in Anaheim, Calif. They will present their findings to a panel of judges for the Business Analytics Competition and the Data Challenge on October 18 and October 19. All contestants will also the results of their research in the exhibit hall to PARTNERS attendees.  Winners will be announced before the conference ends on October 22.

"It's exciting to see what students learn from the analytic data sets and how they apply the information in innovative ways to solve the business problems. The judges also consider their ability to present the information clearly. These three capabilities are what companies looking for new talent are most interested in and there's no better place for this event to happen than at the PARTNERS data analytics conference," said Susan Baxley, director of Teradata University Network.

Participants in the undergraduate and graduate student categories of the 2015 Business Analytics Competition will present their business analytics research or application cases and will be judged on: originality of idea; quality of argumentation; writing quality; and overall contribution to new knowledge. Using an operational and financial data set provided by the Cultural Data Project, students in the 2015 Data Challenge will present their findings on how select arts and cultural organizations can improe their fundraising, better serve their audiences, and increase the cost-effectiveness of their operations.

"The two different competitions allow students to present their innovative application ideas under the Business Analytics Competition and yet also analyze a common data set under the Data Challenge," said Dr. Ramesh Sharda, academic executive director of Teradata University Network and Vice Dean and a Regents Professor of MSIS at Oklahoma State University.  

The Business Analytics Competition finalists are: 

Canada:

• Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., "Data in Healthcare: Analysis of Mental Health Emergency Room Admissions," by Rock Chi, with faculty Robert Krider.

United States:

• Bryant University, Smithfield, R.I., "How Big Data Is Used in Accounting Field," by team lead Ya Hui Zheng, with faculty Suhong Li.
• California State University, Fullerton, Calif., "Sentiment Analysis on Twitter Data," by team lead Veneet Shah, with faculty Yuna Kim.
• Loyola University Chicago, "Visualization as a Tool in Analysis of Employment-Status Data," by team lead Ashley Pradham with faculty Svetlozar Nestorov.
• Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, "Hotel Occupancy Rates vs. Online Reviews," by team lead Katsiaryna Siamionava, with faculty Bryan Hammer.
• University of Florida, Gainesville, "Social Factors in Online Open Source Communities," by team lead Mohammadmahdi Moqri, with faculty Shubho Bandyopadhyay.
• University of Oklahoma, Norman, "Data Visualization on Terrorism, History and Current Status," by team lean Ying Zhang, with faculty Radhika Santhanam.

The Data Challenge competition finalists are:

Australia:

• Carnegie Mellon University, Adelaide S.A., by team lead Jiahul Wang.

Thailand:

• National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, by team lead Beaver Nut, with faculty Dr. Jongsawas Chongwatpol.
• National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, by team lead Jeerawan Teeraphati, also with faculty Dr. Jongsawas Chongwatpol.

United States:

• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, by team lead Jacqueline Anne Nunez, with faculty Eduardo Zambrano.
• Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y., by team lead Gabriela M. Meza, with faculty Boris Jukic.
• Loyola University Chicago, by team lead Rachel Babbits, with faculty Nenad Jukic.

Each competition finalist team will receive scholarships for one student and one faculty to attend the PARTNERS Conference.

Scholarships have also been awarded to four faculty who will attend the Teradata PARTNERS Conference to learn about technological advancements, new business uses in data warehousing and analytics, and the emerging field of individualized insights for customer marketing.  The faculty winners are:

• Justin Cochran, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Ga.
• Nannette Napier, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, Ga.
• Prabin Panigrahi, Indian Institute of Management Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.
• Shu Schiller, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

About Teradata University Network
Teradata University Network, in conjunction with Teradata (NYSE: TDC), gives students a taste of corporate reality through hands-on software experiences and case studies on some of the world's largest companies. Through the program's website, professors design assignments using datasets and teaching tools, all at no cost to their university. More than 45,000 students around the world, majoring in computer science, information systems, management, and marketing utilize program resources. The resources and content support everything from Introduction to IT at the undergraduate level to graduate and executive-level courses in big data and analytics. A key to the success of Teradata University Network is that it is led by academics to ensure the content will meet the needs of today's classrooms. For more information, visit the website: www.teradatauniversitynetwork.com

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