Hundreds of undergraduates will soon descend on Emory for an around-the-clock weekend sprint to see whose team can make the most sense of a huge data set.

The American Statistical Association DataFest is open to any student with an interest in data analysis and willingness to collaborate with up to five people on a team. Teams have less than 48 hours to run statistical analyses and create visualizations based on real-world data.

The competition will be held April 5-7 at Cox Center Ballroom. For more information, visit here.

Hosted for the fifth year by Emory’s Institute for Quantitative Theory and Methods (QTM), DataFest allows participants the chance to work with complex, real-world data. Past events featured current data from Ticketmaster, the Los Angeles Police Department, eHarmony and others, who provide access to the information in a bid to gain new insights.

Winning teams in four categories – best insight, best data visualization, best use of external data and best overall work – will win cash prizes. All teams will be able to use their findings – but not the underlying information – to demonstrate members’ experience during job searches and interviews.

Businesses looking for workers with data analysis skills will be represented at the event. DataFest also creates the opportunity for networking with likeminded students and professionals.

In addition to undergraduates, the competition features some select high school students and graduate students and faculty members serving as consultants during the contest.