High school students from Carbondale Area, Mid Valley, Scranton Prep and Valley View participated in the University of Scranton’s inaugural Data Science Day Competition. Two Mid Valley Secondary Center students placed first in the doubles category, while a Scranton Prep student from Jessup came in second in the individual category.
The interactive competition was supported by a National Science Foundation grant awarded to university assistant mathematics professor Joseph Klobusicky, Ph.D. It included a tutorial introduction to data science and the computer software that would be used during the competition.
The day also included a luncheon keynote address by Melinda Kleczynski, Ph.D., a post-doctoral scholar at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and remarks from Carolyn Barry, Ph.D., dean of Scranton’s College of Arts and Sciences. University students majoring in mathematics and other fields assisted with the competition.
The high school students competed in an individual division and a doubles division.
The winners of the individual division of the University of Scranton’s Data Science Day Competition, from left: Ryan Flaim, third place; Vincent You, second place; and Ethan Fenner, first place, with Joseph Klobusicky, Ph.D., University of Scranton assistant mathematics professor. The three students are seniors at Scranton Prep. (Submitted)
In the individual category, Scranton Prep seniors Ethan Fenner of Forty Fort came in first place, Vincent You of Jessup placed second and Ryan Flaim of Wilkes-Barre placed third.
In the doubles division, Mid Valley Secondary Center sophomores Giada Vagni of Olyphant and Zackary Buza of Throop, came in first place. Scranton Prep seniors Logan Dixon of Factoryville and Sam DeNaples of Moscow placed second.
Data science is a growing and in-demand field. For more information about undergraduate programs in mathematics at the University of Scranton, visit the department’s webpage at scranton.edu/academics/cas/math/index.shtml.