B-School Team with Big Time Talent
Clark University School of Business Students Excel in Global Data Analytics Competition
Contributed by Vishista Rodda, MS-Marketing ’25
When Shubham Suman, MBA ’25, and Vibha Srinivasa, MS in Business Analytics ’25, from Clark University’s School of Business, first heard about the KNIME Game of Nodes competition, they thought it might be a fun idea to take part. They had no idea that what began as a class project would ultimately lead them to an international stage in Berlin, Germany, as finalists in one of the world’s premier data analytics competitions.
What Is the KNIME Game of Nodes?
The KNIME Game of Nodes is an international data science tournament put on by the creators of the KNIME Analytics Platform. The competition is open to students and professionals worldwide and entails a number of complex data challenges that participants have to solve —from “web scraping” and machine learning to “geospatial mapping and interactive reporting.” The competition is a tournament-style format, with teams competing in qualification and elimination rounds. The top two teams ultimately compete live in the final round at the KNIME Spring Summit, this year held in Berlin.
Despite coming from a smaller university and business school than their fellow competitors, Shubham and Vibha beat the odds to reach the championship round—impressing the entire KNIME community.
“To be honest, we didn’t expect to get that far,” said Shubham. “We were just curious and wanted to explore KNIME beyond class. As beginners, Vibha and I were excited as well as nervous.”
From the Classroom to the World Stage
The road to the finals of the Knime Game of Nodes competition began in business analytics professor Dr. Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara’s class. In a whirlwind of time and with the passing of each challenge, it became an intense and exhilarating experience. Each round reinforced their confidence and deepened their understanding of data analytics. The transparent and supportive KNIME community, combined with the thrill of advancing through each stage, made the competition an invaluable opportunity for learning and growth.
Throughout the competition, Shubham and Vibha tackled a variety of demanding data analytics tasks, demonstrating adaptability, creativity, and technical expertise.
In the qualification round, they took on the role of data analyst for a career service firm, analyzing salary trends in data science professions. Their challenge was to create an interactive dashboard and a static PDF report using KNIME’s Reporting extension. The final deliverables were to be insightful recommendations to help optimize compensation strategies for the firm’s clients.
In their round of eight, the two worked as data scientists for an online supermarket, designing a recipe suggestion engine to help customers plan their weekly meals. Their solution incorporated factors such as nutrition, cooking time, and complexity, offering three personalized recipe recommendations daily. They showcased their approach through an interactive dashboard and a concise summary of their methodology. For the final four challenge, Shubham and Vibha stepped into the role of biologists at a local zoo. This challenge required an in-depth analysis of various animal characteristics. Their deliverables included an interactive dashboard, a correlation analysis, and a hypothesis test examining relationships between specific attributes. They trained and optimized a machine learning model to classify animal types while assessing prediction uncertainty using conformal prediction theory. A one-page static PDF report summarized their findings for distribution among zoo personnel.
“Each round strengthened our conviction and rooted us deeper in data analytics,” Vibha said.
The Final Round
The championship round was the ultimate test. The students began preparing as soon as their final four round was over.
“During finals preparation, Vibha and I reviewed our previous challenges and explored the more complex features of KNIME Analytics Platform. We also analyzed our earlier workflows to determine areas for enhancement and practiced within timed parameters to improve our effectiveness,” Shubham noted.
Their final challenge was not easy. Acting as data analysts for a fictional German shoe company, Shubham and Vibha focused on data wrangling, cleaning, and rapid reporting. The two needed to answer key questions regarding daily and quarterly sales performance within a 30-minute timeframe, all while up on stage being watched by the competition attendees, as well as the global audience viewing on livestream. With limited time, they rapidly processed, analyzed, and synthesized the data using KNIME, and delivering a comprehensive report detailing their conclusions.
Despite competing against three professionals in the data analytics industry, Vibha and Shubham were not intimidated. The two completed the challenge, but the professionals simply did it faster. With speed being a factor, Vibha and Shubham lost the championship.
“It was an exhilarating experience to make it to the finals and be sitting up there live on stage,” Vibha stated. “We 100% knew our stuff and I’m proud that we were the only students to make it that far in the competition.”
A Transformational Experience
The experience was transformational for both Vibha and Shubham. Reaching the finals reinforced their belief that with dedication and the right tools, they can tackle complex data challenges now and in the future. They certainly made their professors and staff proud.
“Their achievement of reaching the final round is nothing short of remarkable,” Dr. Ahady Dolatsara, information management and business analytics professor with the School of Business, said of Vibha and Shubham. “To compete against a team of seasoned professionals, some with nearly a decade of AI experience, while these students had less than two years of exposure at Clark, is a testament to their dedication and skills.”
In fact, Dr. Ahady Dolatsara noted, one of the members of the opposing team in the finals is a university instructor, further highlighting the achievement of the Clark students.
“I’m incredibly proud of Vibha and Shubham. They truly represented Clark University exceptionally well,” he added.
For Shubham and Vibha, the KNIME Game of Nodes competition was more than just a contest it was a growth journey. Every challenge shaped their technical expertise, strengthened their resilience, and deepened their enthusiasm for data analytics. Professionally, their participation in the competition has opened new opportunities, expanded their network, and strengthened their confidence in handling real-world analytics problems. This defining experience will continue to shape their future, unlocking new doors in their professional journey and solidifying their place in the ever-evolving world of data science.
Internship Opportunities Ahead for Future Students
Thanks to Dr. Ahady Dolatsara, CUSB has established a partnership with KNIME, whereby students will have access to top internship opportunities with KNIME clients based on their performance in certain class projects. In fact, this spring, four CUSB students earned internships Health Pulse, a KNIME client. Dr. Ahady Dolatsara is also expanding his work with Siemens, where a recent alumna completed an internship and was subsequently offered a full-time position.
“Our hope that our ongoing collaborations with both KNIME and Siemens will allow us to establish a healthcare education hub in the future,” Dolatsara noted. “Our students are not only learning how to apply AI in healthcare, but also seeing real opportunities to be hired by leading healthcare companies. This level of healthcare analytics education within a business school is rare.”
