Datafest 2026 is April 9-13!

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Datafest Events

Thursday April 9 – Introduction to Statistical Programming Digital Badge Review Session
Who: Anyone who has completed STS2120
When: Thursday April 9, 4:00 – 5:15
Where: Duke 304
Summary: This session is meant for students who have completed STS2120 and are interested in earning a digital badge that they can show off the SAS knowledge that they learned. During this workshop we will review some SAS procedures such as how to import data and use that data to complete several different procedures in SAS. This session is not meant to teach students how to use SAS, instead it is meant as a refresher for those wanting to earn the digital badge.

Friday April 10 – All events in Founder’s Hall Atrium
Keynote, The Power of Data-Driven Insights in the Business of Sports

Featuring : Ryan Meizinger ’17, Relo Metrics, Director Insights and Strategic Services, WHEN: April 10 from 5:30-6:30, Where: Founders Hall Atrium

Description: This is a general audience talk with a practical context of sports sponsorship data and the power of data-driven decision-making in modern sports business. The speaker will highlight (1) the sports sponsorship ecosystem – how brands, teams, leagues, and media platforms interact in a multi-billion-dollar marketplace, (2) how sponsorship value is measured – the role of data in evaluating media exposure, audience reach, and ROI, (3) how companies like Relo Metrics measure brand visibility across broadcasts, social media, and digital platforms, (4) the role of AI in sports analytics – how technologies like computer vision are transforming media and sponsorship measurement, and (5) careers at the intersection of sports, media, and data – how analytical skills translate into real-world opportunities across industries.

5:30-6:30 Pizza party open to all, Data Challenge Meet the Mentor, and Give Aways!
7:00pm Data Challenge and Creative AI + Data Image Contest Begin

Saturday April 11
Data Challenge and Creative AI + Data Image Contest Participants work on their contest. Data Challenge Team members meet with their assigned mentor(s).

Sunday April 12
Data Challenge and Creative AI + Data Image Contest Participants work on their contest. All contest submissions due at 7pm. Data Challenge submissions will be on OneDrive, Creative AI + Data Image submissions will be on Moodle.

Monday April 13
4:30-5:15pm Concurrent sessions in and around Founders Hall Atrium and Creative AI + Data Submissions on Display for Judging
5:15-5:45 “How to Prepare for a Sports Analytics Career” Panel (with Jackie Jovanovic ’23, Junior Data Scientist at Miami Marlins and Tobias Coker ’25, Blue Jays Player Development Technology Intern) and Contest Results.

Data Challenge Team Members should plan to be in attendance to present their results for Judging, 4:30-5:45 on April 13.

Click HERE for more information on the Creative AI + Data Image Contest.

For more information on the Datafest Team Data Challenge click HERE!

Congratulations to the 2026 Datafest Data Challenges Winners!
Best in Show
Lleyton Head and Addie Jones
(Team : Data Delinquents)
Best Pitch
Maddy Baird, Skylar Cook, and Shelby Keel
(Team : CTRL-ALT-ELITE)
Best Technical Approach
William Corkey, Bereket Demissew, Ryan Kershner, and Pine Hastings-Wilkins
(Team : B-Team)
Best Data Visualization
Kian Fannin, Joe Mahiti, John McNulty, and Yamur Samli
(Team : Confidence Intervals)
Maddy Baird, Skylar Cook, and Shelby Keel
(Team : CTRL-ALT-ELITE)
Best Use of an External Source
Seth Cushinsky,Oliver Jaffe, Colin Chisholm, and Amelia Weaver
(Team: SPT All-Stars)