Campus News

Management students win Global Analytics Competition

The winning UB School of Management team at the 2019 Global Analytics Competition in Washington, D.C.

The winning UB School of Management team at the 2019 Global Analytics Competition in Washington, D.C.

By KEVIN MANNE

Published June 12, 2019

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Paul Tesluk.
“Competitions like these illustrate just how School of Management students are making a positive impact on business—and society. ”
Paul Tesluk, dean and professor
School of Management

Going head-to-head with teams from around the world, three UB School of Management graduate students took first place at the 2019 Global Analytics Competition (GAC), held June 3-4 in Washington, D.C.

The GAC is part of the annual International Big Data and Analytics Education Conference and is focused on generating innovative analytics solutions to environmental issues and raising awareness about sustainability.

The winning team was made up of UB Master of Science in Management Information Systems students Nidhishant Dixit, Roshan Jain and Sithara Karunakaran. Ram Ramesh, professor of management science and systems, served as academic supervisor.

“These are extremely sharp students with bright careers ahead of them as data scientists,” says Ramesh. “Their research was first-class and winning this competition will take them to an entirely different level.”

Ten teams of finalists were selected based on the quality of their analytical solutions to environmental challenges like climate change, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission and the impact of air quality on health. The UB team’s entry focused on waste management solutions.

“Competitions like these illustrate just how School of Management students are making a positive impact on business—and society,” says Paul Tesluk, dean of the UB School of Management. “Congratulations to our team for bringing a win home to Buffalo among a strong field of competitors, all while addressing a critical global issue.”

The 10 teams that competed represented the following universities:

  • Dalhousie University
  • Deakin University (three teams)
  • Fordham University (two teams)
  • University at Buffalo School of Management
  • University of Connecticut
  • University of Maryland University College (two teams)

The School of Management’s Wow Fund helped support student travel expenses for the competition. The fund backs students who travel to national conferences or competitions during the academic year and is supported by Barry Goldstein, MBA ’80, and the Frank L. Ciminelli Family Fund.