Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Media Contact: Jeff Hopper | Communication Coordinator | 405-744-1050 | [email protected]
Two business analytics teams from Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business have placed in the top five in the 2023 Humana Mays Analytics Case Competition hosted by Texas A&M University.
Mays Business School and Humana Inc. They launched the event’s seventh edition earlier this fall. The competition invites teams of two to four students from universities across the country to design a solution to a real-world problem and then present their ideas in multiple rounds of materials presentations, presentations and question-and-answer sessions.
More than 500 teams entered this year’s tournament. The first round narrowed the field to 50 teams, 12 from OSU. Those teams were then asked to further develop their solutions and detail the impact their solutions would have on the business. Those entries were judged and the final five teams were selected on Oct. 27, which included two teams from OSU.
“I am delighted to have two of our teams in the top 5 for this great competition,” said Dr Gotham Chakraborty, Director of the Masters in Business Analytics and Data Science (MS BAnDS) programme. This is an extremely tough competition with over 500 teams from universities across the country.
The final five teams will present their final presentations to Himana executives and a panel of Texas A&M faculty on November 9, and final rankings will be announced. Teams are competing for cash prizes as follows.
1st place – $50,000
2nd place – $20,000
3rd place – $10,000
4th and 5th place – $5,000
“The Humana-Mayes competition is a very demanding competition where we work on a problem at different levels,” said Shreyan Datta Chakraborty, a member of OSU’s finalist teams. “This gives us an idea of the data science life cycle of a problem, from fitting models to developing a comprehensive report and finally starting a presentation.”
Both teams understand the value of working and providing creative solutions to real-world problems.
“Working on the Huma-Mays competition was an incredibly challenging experience,” said Ranjit Kumar, a graduate student in the MS BAnDS program and a member of the final team. “The complex data and real-world healthcare challenges pushed us to push our known creative limits. I had a great feeling working with my talented teammates as we adapted and collaborated effectively with the ultimate goal of learning. The biggest motivator for my team was the realization that our solution could make a real difference to the healthcare system.
The students in the final two OSU teams are:
Team 1 – Ranjith Kumar Kuppu Rathinam, Asif Syed, Landry Alsbrook and Shubhi Gupta
Group 2 – Shreyan Dutta Chakraborty, Roh Dejar Tan, Frankle Muchahari and Ritwik Roy Chowdhury
Dr. Chakraborty said, “I am very proud that 12 of our teams have made it to the first round of 50 teams and then these two teams will compete for the top 3 ranks along with three other teams from other universities.” “This is a testament to the hard work of our students. I wish our two teams the best for the final round.
Each group recognizes the impact Dr. Chakraborty has had on the program and the students.
“We are very thankful to Dr. C for pushing us to be the best version of ourselves throughout the program and this would not have been possible without his constant support and guidance in all aspects,” Shreyan said.
“Dr. C is constantly encouraging and helping us engage in amazing opportunities to learn beyond books,” Kumar said.
For more information about the Masters in Business Analytics program at OSU, visit website.