{"id":6826,"date":"2025-05-09T14:22:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T18:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/business\/?p=6826"},"modified":"2025-05-30T15:32:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T19:32:19","slug":"b-school-team-with-big-time-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/business\/news\/b-school-team-with-big-time-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"B-School Team with Big Time Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Clark University School of Business Students Excel in Global Data Analytics Competition<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contributed by<\/em> Vishista Rodda, MS-Marketing ’25<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Students<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Shubham Suman, MBA ’25, and Vibha Srinivasa, MS in Business Analytics ’25, from Clark University\u2019s 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\u2019s premier data analytics competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is the KNIME Game of Nodes?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014from \u201cweb scraping\u201d and machine learning to \u201cgeospatial mapping and interactive reporting.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite coming from a smaller university and business school than their fellow competitors, Shubham and Vibha beat the odds to reach the championship round\u2014impressing the entire KNIME community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“To be honest, we didn\u2019t expect to get that far,\u201d said Shubham. \u201cWe were just curious and wanted to explore KNIME beyond class. As beginners, Vibha and I were excited as well as nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From the Classroom to the World Stage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road to the finals of the Knime Game of Nodes competition began in business analytics professor Dr. Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Vibha Srinivasa and Shubham Suman with their fellow competition finalists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the competition, Shubham and Vibha tackled a variety of demanding data analytics tasks, demonstrating adaptability, creativity, and technical expertise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach round strengthened our conviction and rooted us deeper in data analytics,\u201d Vibha said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Final Round<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The championship round was the ultimate test. The students began preparing as soon as their final four round was over.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring 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,\u201d Shubham noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was an exhilarating experience to make it to the finals and be sitting up there live on stage,\u201d Vibha stated. \u201cWe 100% knew our stuff and I\u2019m proud that we were the only students to make it that far in the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"School<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Transformational Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cTheir achievement of reaching the final round is nothing short of remarkable,\u201d Dr. Ahady Dolatsara, information management and business analytics professor with the School of Business, said of Vibha and Shubham. \u201cTo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m incredibly proud of Vibha and Shubham. They truly represented Clark University exceptionally well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship Opportunities Ahead for Future Students<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOur hope that our ongoing collaborations with both KNIME and Siemens will allow us to establish a healthcare education hub in the future,\u201d Dolatsara noted. \u201cOur 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.\u201d  <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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