On December 26, 2021, the award ceremony for the SAS College Data Analysis Competition was held online. The team consisting of Fan Xinyuan, Xi Yishan, and Sun Xin from the 2018 Statistical Experimental Class of the School of Statistics and Management won the third place in this competition, while the team formed by Yao Dazhi, Li Zhiwei, and Fan Chenzhuo from the 2019 Statistical Experimental Class reached the top 30. Both teams were guided by Professor Wu Chunjie from the School of Statistics and Management, and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics received the Best Organization Award.
The SAS China University Data Analysis Competition was founded in 2013 and is a non-profit public competition initiated by SAS China. It aims to promote the cultivation of talent in the field of data science and to facilitate the rise of new forces in the data analysis industry.
The competition started online registration on September 28, 2021, and the online preliminary round took place on November 6-7, with 156 teams advancing to the finals. On November 19, the competition's official website announced the case topics for the finals. Participating teams wrote reports based on the chosen topics and submitted their works before December 4, with online defenses taking place on December 19. Due to the impact of the pandemic, this competition was held entirely online. The competition organizing committee conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the submitted reports and defense performances, and rankings were awarded based on this evaluation.
The School of Statistics and Management places great importance on this competition. At the beginning of the summer vacation, Professor Wu Chunjie, the vice dean, took the lead in establishing a seminar for preparing for the SAS Data Analysis Competition, providing professional guidance for participating students. The seminar offers a wealth of professional study materials free of charge and, based on this, conducts targeted Q&A sessions to give students the greatest help and guidance in various aspects. With solid mathematical foundations and a strong grasp of SAS software, two teams from the School of Statistics and Management successfully reached the top 100 and advanced to the finals.
On December 19, 156 outstanding teams from major universities in China participated in the online final defense. The defense was held in groups, with a time limit of ten minutes for each group to present their reports and answer questions from the judges. On the evening of December 26, SAS China executives, industry experts, university faculty, as well as organizers and collaborators gathered online to attend the awards ceremony. Following the opening ceremony and guest speeches, the competition results were announced, and the award ceremony was held, with the champion, runner-up, and third-place teams presenting excellent reports.
The "Statistical Modeling Team," composed of Fan Xinyuan, Xi Yishan, and Sun Xin from the School of Statistics and Management, stood out in fierce competition by relying on innovative modeling ideas, solid programming skills, and clear defense presentations, winning the third place in this competition, and showcasing their excellent work online. The school has achieved a record of 3 championships, 3 runners-up, and 1 top four finish in previous competitions, ranking first among all schools.
The SAS Data Analysis Competition for Chinese Universities is one of the innovative models for deepening school-enterprise cooperation at the School of Statistics and Management, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. As early as 2015, the School of Statistics and Management at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with SAS China, and the two parties carried out comprehensive and multi-faceted strategic cooperation, including the establishment of a student practice base, the formation of the "Shanghai University of Finance and Economics - SAS Training Development Center," the initiation of the "SAS Data Analysis Competition" event, research cooperation, and talent cultivation, among others.
Since the launch of the SAS Data Analysis Competition, it has received enthusiastic responses in China. With the promotion of SAS China, an increasing number of emerging talents in the field of data analysis are participating in the competition. The School of Statistics and Management has given high importance and close attention to the selection of participants, training of team members, and winning of awards. The school actively explores and expands new ideas for collaborative education between universities and enterprises, focusing on cultivating qualified successors for social and economic development as its fundamental task, fully integrating moral education into the entire process of talent cultivation. Utilizing the university-enterprise cooperation laboratory as a platform, based on "practice bases," and using the internet and information technology as mediums, various resources are comprehensively integrated to further form a synergy, significantly enhancing students' practical abilities and overall qualities. The aim is to cultivate outstanding and versatile data science talents who possess a sense of historical mission and social responsibility, as well as innovative spirit and practical capabilities.
