Teams from Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest win WiDS Datathon++ University Edition 2024

Teams from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca and the Bucharest University of Economic Studies are the winners of the WiDS Datathon++ University Edition 2024, organized by the Women in Data Science (WiDS) initiative at Stanford University, sponsored by Gilead Sciences.

The global competition promotes diversity in data science, allowing participants to develop their analytical skills and collaborate on solving real-world problems.

First place was awarded to the TUCN_AI_ErrorExorcist team from Cluj-Napoca, consisting of Andreea-Maria Onaci and Petruț-Butuel Paul.

"Participating in the challenge gave us valuable insights into different algorithms and techniques. We learned how to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each algorithm and technique and how crucial the right combinations are. The experience improved our technical skills and highlighted the importance of continuous learning,” the pair said.

Meanwhile, the third place worldwide was secured by ASE_Data Mining_Fantasticians from Bucharest.

"We are proud of them and congratulate the team of Ana Maria Oprea, Bianca Contolencu, Gianina Maria Petrașcu, and Ioana Bîrlan, who brought fame to our institution. We appreciate the opportunity to provide such experiences of teamwork and creative learning and wish success to future editions of the competition," stated professor Nicolae Istudor, Rector of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies.

Over 70 universities from 23 countries participated in this year’s WiDS Datathon++ University Edition. Romania was represented by teams from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași, Nicolae Bălcescu Land Forces Academy of Sibiu, Politehnica Bucharest, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași, and Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Bucharest.

The competition, which ran from September 2023 to June 2024, focused on equity in healthcare. Participants developed models to predict, based on patient characteristics, how many days it would take for a patient to receive their first treatment for a cancer diagnosis. They were also encouraged to go beyond the predictive challenge and engage in discussions to generate additional insights and understand the real-world implications of the results.

Romania’s participation in this international competition is based on the initiative of think tank 360, which brought the contest to the country in 2022 to promote young Romanian idea generators and solution providers from higher education institutions. Additionally, WiDS Romania aims to support the importance of women in technology and the opportunity to promote outstanding students.