Hear it here: SAS Hackathon 2024 will feature two student-only tracks this year!
To capture the enthusiasm of students who are interested in the SAS Hackathon – but don’t have data or a use-case – SAS Academic Programs will provide two tracks to engage students in 2024. These tracks are intended to offer different starting points for students, based upon their current skill-level. And since the tracks don't require mentors - because the data and use cases are provided - students can start Hacking right away on September 16th.
Option 1 | Data for Good | Climate Change + Vulnerable Populations
This track focuses on data related to climate change and vulnerable populations. Using data from the United States government, students will explore the link between economically vulnerable populations and the geographic areas expected to be most affected by climate change.
By examining simple descriptive statistics and plotting data at the county-level across the United States, this track will be a great starting point for those new to analytics. Moreover, students are asked to create a dashboard with the top 50 counties in the United States who could face the biggest economic challenges stemming from climate change.
Want a sneak peek of the use-case? You can find it on the GitHub page, here.
Option 2 | Ethical Data Analysis | Graduate School Admission
In this track, you’ll assume the role of predictive modeler in an admissions department for a fictitious university. Your goal is to evaluate historical admissions to a M.S. in Analytics Program and to create the best model to predict student admission. You will then use your best model to determine which students should be admitted as part of the fall 2025 incoming class.
And here’s the twist: just because you can run a model doesn’t mean you should. You’ll also be asked to evaluate the models from an ethical perspective and further consider which students would be admitted if the goal in the 2025 cohort was more diversity – however you’d like to define it. This track is more suitable for those with a predictive modeling and machine learning background.
All analyses can be completed using our free software for learning: SAS Viya for Learners. By providing students with data, research questions, and a computing environment – we seek to make the SAS Hackathon more accessible for students. Moreover, know that you’ll compete for student-only awards in each option.
Want a sneak peek of the second use-case too? Find it on the GitHub page, here.
For both use-cases, data will be uploaded to the GitHub repo at 9 am ET on Monday, September 16th. Additionally, you can join your fellow track mates in the Student Track Support page here.
Next Steps
In the meantime, what can you do now? Well – the last part is up to you. You need a team of at least two registered people to be approved to participate in the SAS Hackathon… because it’s always better together. So, if you’ve created a team of 2+ people: then wonderful! Please make sure all your teammates are signed up.
And if you haven’t found a team, then please use the chat below and look for teammates. Information that I’d share is (1) the track that interests you (2) your skillset and what you’d like to do in the Student Track(s), (3) your region (i.e., Americas/EMEA/APAC… being in the same region will make collaborating easier). Moreover, the best way to get on a team is for you to create it. In other words, don’t simply submit your information and then disappear. Create a team yourself – and use this guide to finish your new team profile!
Happy Hacking!
Helpful resources:
SAS Hackathon: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - SAS Support Communities
