On November 30, the "HSBC Cup" 2015 China College SAS Data Analysis Competition concluded in Beijing. Three teams sent by our School of Statistics and Management overcame many challenges and all made it to the national top eight, among which the team consisting of Huang He, Long Guangbin, and Li Yifan won the national championship in this competition.
The SAS Data Analysis Competition for Chinese Universities is a non-profit public competition initiated by SAS China, specifically targeting data analysis-related programs in Chinese universities. It is hosted by SAS Software (Beijing) Co., Ltd. and organized by China Scientific Software Network, aimed at universities nationwide. The goal is to enhance students' application level of SAS software, increase the influence of SAS software in Chinese universities, and align Chinese universities with international standards in the field of data modeling.
At the beginning of the year, Vice Dean Wu Chunjie of the School of Statistics and Management took the lead in establishing a preparation team for the SAS Data Analysis Competition. The school provided students with a large amount of professional materials free of charge, and assigned professional teachers for regular guidance and occasional Q&A sessions, giving students the greatest support and assistance. In the preliminary round of the Shanghai competition in October, the three teams sent by the school, with their solid SAS software skills and practical abilities, successfully advanced to the finals in Beijing.
In the finals, after two days of data analysis and paper writing, the team represented by Huang He, Long Guangbin, and Li Yifan stood out from 50 finalist teams and became the national champions of this event. This is also the Statistics and Management College's second championship in three years, following their win at the first SAS College Data Analysis Competition in 2013. In addition, the teams represented by Chen Zhaoshu and Luo Yuchuan achieved respectable results, finishing sixth and seventh nationwide, respectively.
In recent years, the School of Statistics and Management has focused on providing a higher quality training platform for students, intensifying efforts to embark on a new chapter of school-enterprise cooperation. In the spring of 2015, the School of Statistics and Management, in collaboration with HSBC, established the Shanghai HSBC Data Analysis Club. The club is dedicated to offering a range of assistance to students within Shanghai universities who have a strong interest in business data analysis and wish to develop in this field. In October, led by the School of Statistics and Management, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with SAS China, with both parties set to engage in comprehensive and multifaceted strategic cooperation, including establishing a student practice base, forming the "Shanghai University of Finance and Economics-SAS Training and Development Center," holding the "SAS Data Analysis Competition," conducting research cooperation, and talent cultivation, among other initiatives.
The SAS competition has received significant attention and close monitoring from the leaders of the School of Statistics and Management from the early selection, team training to the awards received. It has also received strong support from the “Comprehensive Reform Pilot Project for the Statistics Major” under the School’s undergraduate teaching program. This is a prominent example of the school’s innovative practice in reforming the cultivation model of statistical talent and the comprehensive reform of the Statistics major, as well as a strong exploration of enhancing school-enterprise cooperation and expanding the talent cultivation construction platform.
"Our college has always closely followed the goal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics to build a 'research-oriented university with distinct characteristics in finance and economics.' Adhering to the concept of innovative talent cultivation in statistics, we explore new pathways for education. We have successively established internship bases in collaboration with organizations such as SAS, Orient Securities, and the National Bureau of Statistics, striving to provide students with a broader practical platform." Wu Chunjie, the Deputy Dean of the School of Statistics and Management, took the stage as a representative of the participating college and as a co-organizer of the event to participate in the award ceremony of the SAS Training Development Center, sharing experiences with those present.
