Student Data Challenge Rules

TAMIDS’s Student Data Challenge is an open-ended data science competition where teams identify a goal and develop a final report and presentation.

Competition Overview

The Data Challenge is held over a seven-week period, starting with the Technical Orientation Session and ending with the Final Event. All competitors have five (5) weeks to conduct their analysis and write a report and submit it by the deadline. Selected finalists will be invited to give a presentation before a panel of judges during the Final Event. .

All teams have five (5) weeks to:

The teams with the best reports in each division are selected to be finalists and have one week to prepare a presentation for a panel of judges during the Final Event.

Additional activities, like the Midpoint Event and Workshop and Q&A, are optional. Teams are encouraged to submit the optional Midpoint Summary for a chance to win a special “Best Visualization” prize.

Competition Setting and Theme

Each year, the competition organizers select a new theme to reflect emerging trends and interests in science, technology, and world events. This dynamic approach ensures that participants tackle fresh, relevant challenges, encouraging innovative solutions to real-world problems. The evolving themes keep the competition engaging and encourages new participants from different departments and colleges across Texas A&M.

This year, the competition is looking at the intersection of cybersecurity and data science.

The Challenge Prompt

Student teams are given an initial dataset and challenge prompt, then have five (5) weeks to create an innovative and narrative-driven analysis to help a target stakeholder make more informed decisions or better understand an challenge they face.

The challenge prompt and dataset(s) will be posted on the Competition Portal during the Technical Orientation Session, available to registered competitors after the start of the competition. Students are encourage to attend the orientation session to learn more about the

The competition values creativity and innovation in projects.

Teams should formulate a specific approach within the broad problem context. This approach might involve finding and using additional data and information for a specific industry, context, or community. Each team will choose a focus area, define their metrics, develop a model, and show insights and recommendations based on their analysis.

There are two main components to this challenge:

• Conduct Descriptive, Diagnostic, Predictive, or Prescriptive Analytics: Cybersecurity is influenced by a complex interplay of factors, and its impact can vary from situation to situation. Using the provided dataset, and other publicly available data, competitors will examine data to answer questions, identify trends, and extract insights.
• Communication with End-users: Every institution requires some level of cybersecurity. Competitors should aim to inform layman (i.e., non-cybersecurity and non-data science experts) leaders about your data analysis and help them formulate strategies, make decisions, or take a particular action. All professionals, regardless of their job, need to effectively communicate their findings, knowledge, and results to end-users, such as facility managers, policymakers, and the public, in a convincing and trustworthy manner.

Competition Portal

The competition organizers enroll participating students as teams in a special Canvas course. All announcements, materials, and submissions related to the competition will be conducted through the competition’s Canvas webpage and only accessible by students who registered by the deadline.

TAMIDS’s organizers will enroll registrants and configure teams using the details provided in the registration form (see “Registration” below for more details).

Team Formation, Divisions, and Faculty Mentors

Teams: As part of the registration, students will form teams of one to five (1–5) members and entered into the undergraduate or graduate divisions.

Students can use the Data Science Competitions Discord server to find potential teammates.

After the registration deadline, no new students will be allowed to join the competition, but current registrants may change teams up to one (1) week after the competition starts.

Divisions: The competition is split into two divisions: Undergraduate and Graduate. Both divisions have the same dataset(s) and challenge prompt(s), but each is awarded a separate first, second, and third-place prize.

Eligibility

The competition is open to graduate and undergraduate students from all majors at Texas A&M University, including the Galveston and Qatar campuses. Competitors must be enrolled as a student at Texas A&M University during the Spring 2025 semester.

• Students can only be on one team per competition
• A team with at least one graduate student will be assigned to the graduate division

Registration

All registrations will be acknowledged with an automated email. Registrations can be updated to include or remove teammates but all competitors must be registered by the deadline or they will not be included in the competition.

Registered competitors may change teams or merge teams by emailing tamids@tamu.edu, until 11:59 pm on March 6, 2025. After March 6, team members can only be removed from the competition, not added.

Faculty Mentors [OPTIONAL]

Teams have the option of having a faculty mentor provide guidance. Competitors must obtain the mentor’s agreement to serve in this role before listing them in the registration. Faculty mentors can provide guidance and support for competitors but cannot directly contribute to the competition’s analysis, report writing, or other deliverables. Faculty are not required to submit or participate in any of the competition’s events but are invited to attend the Final Event with their team.

Competition Milestones

For more information about all the events and activities during the competition, visit the Cyber Wise Events page.

Technical Orientation Session & Competition Start: During the Technical Orientation Session, competitors will receive a guiding prompt and details about the expectations and goals for their analysis. The orientation session will also include introductory presentations and a quick tutorial to get students started. Students will have an opportunity to meet with the organizers and ask questions, learn about the optional workshop, and learn about other resources they can use.

Learning Opportunities [Optional]: The organizers will host an online Workshop and Q&A session covering useful skills and techniques for the competition. Additionally, participants will receive additional guidance during an open questions-and-answer session.

Midpoint Showcase [Optional]: Teams may optionally submit a one-page summary graphic of their initial work before the Midpoint Showcase. The submissions will be reviewed by guest judges, with special “Best Visualization” prizes will be awarded to each of the top three team entries across both divisions at the midpoint event.

Final Report and Presentation: Each team will need to submit a final report, with a maximum of ten (10) pages, that details their original analysis, the methods they used, and any recommendations or guidance related to the challenge prompt. The judges will select three to five (3–5) finalists from each division, who will have one (1) week to prepare a ten-minute presentation, followed by a five-minute Q&A with the judges. The top three teams in each division will win prizes as well as special prizes awarded for Best Presentation Design, Best Use of Additional Data, and Best Supplementary Materials.