For the second year in a row, Fisher data analytics students won gold for Best Use of External Data at the American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest, hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology.
The ASA DataFest is a three-day data analysis competition where undergraduate teams dive into a large, complex dataset provided by a real-world organization. The event brings together students from the Rochester area to tackle data challenges, collaborate, and grow professionally.
Senior Nate Rourke (economics major, media and communication minor), junior Kyler Patrick (data analytics and economics major, sport management and math minor), and sophomore Kate Gernold (economics and legal studies major) competed against teams from other universities.
Patrick said that participating in this competition allowed the team to directly apply the analytical and technical skills they developed in class.
“This experience was very similar to our coursework, which greatly helped prepare us. The nature of the challenge, only having 40 hours to complete it, forced us to rely on our strong skill base gained at Fisher,” he said.
Gernold added that participating in this challenge gave her the opportunity to go beyond her typical coursework for her economics and legal study majors, and better develop her skills in advanced coding and data analysis.
All three agreed it was a great experience to simulate a real-world workplace environment with expectations and deadlines.
“Participating in this challenge allowed me to directly apply the analytical and technical skills we’ve developed in class to a fast-paced, real-world problem. Unlike typical coursework, the time constraint pushed us to think efficiently and collaborate effectively under pressure,” said Rourke. “This experience strengthened my confidence in working with complex datasets and reinforced the importance of teamwork, both of which will be valuable as I pursue future opportunities.”
Dr. Ben Niu, associate professor of economics, encourages students to participate in experiences like this to further develop the skills that matter most after graduation while building confidence in their ability to tackle unfamiliar challenges.
“Over the course of an intense two‑day competition, our Fisher students demonstrated exceptional dedication, creativity, and teamwork. We are proud to celebrate their achievement and the way they represented Fisher’s data analytics and economics programs on such a competitive stage,” he said.
Fisher Students are Golden Again at RIT DataFest2026-04-17T13:41:00-04:00For the second year in a row, Fisher data analytics students won gold for Best Use of External Data at the American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest, hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology. The ASA DataFest is a three-day data analysis competition where undergraduate teams dive into a large, complex dataset provided by a real-world organization. The event brings together students from the Rochester area to tackle data challenges, collaborate, and grow professionally.
Senior Nate Rourke ( major, media and communication minor), junior Kyler Patrick ( and economics major, sport management and math minor), and sophomore Kate Gernold (economics and legal studies major) competed against teams from other universities.
Patrick said that participating in this competition allowed the team to directly apply the analytical and technical skills they developed in class.
“This experience was very similar to our coursework, which greatly helped prepare us. The nature of the challenge, only having 40 hours to complete it, forced us to rely on our strong skill base gained at Fisher,” he said.
Gernold added that participating in this challenge gave her the opportunity to go beyond her typical coursework for her economics and legal study majors, and better develop her skills in advanced coding and data analysis.
All three agreed it was a great experience to simulate a real-world workplace environment with expectations and deadlines.
“Participating in this challenge allowed me to directly apply the analytical and technical skills we’ve developed in class to a fast-paced, real-world problem. Unlike typical coursework, the time constraint pushed us to think efficiently and collaborate effectively under pressure,” said Rourke. “This experience strengthened my confidence in working with complex datasets and reinforced the importance of teamwork, both of which will be valuable as I pursue future opportunities.”
Dr. Ben Niu, associate professor of economics, encourages students to participate in experiences like this to further develop the skills that matter most after graduation while building confidence in their ability to tackle unfamiliar challenges.
“Over the course of an intense two‑day competition, our Fisher students demonstrated exceptional dedication, creativity, and teamwork. We are proud to celebrate their achievement and the way they represented Fisher’s data analytics and economics programs on such a competitive stage,” he said./media/news-images/spring-2026/april/Fisher-Team-DataFest-2026.jpg
