On November 17, 2015, the official Discover website announced the final results of the first National Discover Cup University Student Data Modeling Competition. Players from our university's School of Statistics and Management won the championship and swept the top three places in the competition, occupying a significant portion of the award list.
It is reported that a total of eleven teams qualified for the finals nationwide, of which six teams came from the School of Statistics and Management at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. After evaluating the results of the first round of models and the performance in the second round's defense, the "One Hundred Thousand Volt Excavator" team from our School of Statistics and Management triumphed over the competition and won the championship of this event. The "StarFive" team and the "CP3" team, also from the School of Statistics and Management, won the second prize, while the "Discover Pioneers" team took home the third prize.
This competition was the first data modeling contest held by Discover. The theme of the competition was to predict phone volume and call duration for a customer service center. Participants came from various universities and fields across the country. During the preparation phase, the School of Statistics and Management assisted GaoWo Information Technology Co., Ltd. in promoting the first event, attracting a large number of students from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics to participate. Competing as groups, the participants from the School of Statistics and Management underwent twenty days of preliminary rounds followed by ten days of finals, fiercely competing with teams from other top universities. Six teams achieved outstanding results and entered the finals, where they engaged in on-site defenses with other participants from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Science and Technology of China, Dalian University of Technology, and Donghua University on November 6, 2015. The award winners were announced through on-site scoring, and certificates were awarded. The judging panel included the Shanghai Analytics Director, senior managers, and professional analysis teams from Discover. After the competition, the judges praised the participants from the School of Statistics and Management at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and provided valuable feedback on the final modeling results.
As early as September 24, 2014, Discover established a scholarship program in cooperation with Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, aimed at encouraging students interested in the field of data analysis—a skill highly recognized in the financial services industry.
In recent years, the School of Statistics and Management has held monthly academic report events for doctoral students, and professional master's students have hosted industry mentor forums, providing extensive resources and platforms for students' theoretical learning and practical application. The dean of the school, Professor Zhou Yong, also occasionally conducts lectures and doctoral salon activities for students. Under the guidance of teachers, students from the school have achieved remarkable results in academic construction, paper publication, overseas exchanges, competition awards, and employment.
"We focus on the overall development of students, creating all favorable conditions to provide the best teaching resources and communication platforms for them," said Vice Secretary Wang Ti.
