As a master鈥檚 student, Chris Salahub completed a project focused on reducing the risk for cyclists on the busy streets of Zurich. His passion for leveraging data to solve real-world problems is what drew him back to the Faculty of Mathematics, where he previously earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree, to pursue a PhD in statistics.
鈥淚 like to think I鈥檓 a curious person,鈥 said Jennifer Haid (BMath鈥04), a native of the 蓝莓视频 Region. When she learned about 蓝莓视频鈥檚 Math Day from her high school math teacher, she decided to attend in hopes of learning about a career path that would leverage her aptitude for mathematics in the business world. 鈥淚 remember watching a professor deliver a presentation about actuarial science and thinking two things: It was challenging, and I could do it,鈥 she shared.聽
Katia Naccarato has never shied away from exploring an unfamiliar path, hitting a dead end, and trying a different one. Before she enrolled in the Master of Actuarial Science (MActSc) program at the Faculty of Mathematics, she was laser-focused on pursuing a career in medicine. Her current trajectory looks nothing like she expected, but she鈥檚 confident she鈥檚 heading in the right direction.
Samantha Wallis鈥檚 enthusiasm for statistics is matched only by her longtime passion for visual arts. As she considers her path forward after graduating with a degree in mathematics, Wallis thinks about how to meld her two interests into a single career. While she hasn鈥檛 landed on a definitive answer, she has a strong hunch where she will go next.
While challenging, DataFest 2018 was an incredibly rewarding experience that taught us about the nuances of real world data, resilience and the power of team work
Over 100 undergraduate students spent 48 hours on campus analyzing and applying data as they competed in the 2018 ASA DataFest competition this past weekend. Worldwide, more than 2,000 students participate in this competition at several of the most prestigious colleges and universities.
For two consecutive days, students worked around the clock to put their data analysis skills to the test with more complex data than what they would normally be exposed to in class. Once the data is analyzed, groups had only two slides and five minutes to convince the judges that the conclusions they drew from the data were deserving of one of three titles: Munich Re聽Best Insight, Best Use of External Data, or Best Data Visualization.