In its fourth year, the Super Analytics Challenge, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, continues to grow its impact radius. For the first time, Pitt was joined by Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, Penn State, and West Virginia universities to bring ideas to revitalize workforce development tactics in the region.
The Challenge wrapped up on Friday, February 16, 2024, announcing Team 10 as the year’s winner. Members of this team included:
- James Cole, Duquesne University
- Yasha Kaushal, Pitt Physics & Astronomy (PhD ’24)
- Jinqiu Liang, Carnegie Mellon University
- Anirudh Narayanan, Katz (MBA, BA ’25)
- Shiv Waleacha, Penn State University
- Kee Won Song, Executive Coach, IBM
This team’s idea was to bring together high schools and advanced manufacturers to cultivate a skilled and valuable workforce. Their approach is twofold: educate and market to high school students in high-impact areas, determined by analytics, and enroll graduates from those high schools in training programs that guarantee them an advanced manufacturing job upon completion.
Song said, “At our last team meeting, I told them that just competing was the win. They were judged pretty harshly at one point, but that led us to reconsider how to move this project forward, make the idea better, and make the presentation better. At the end of the day, it’s a well-deserved victory. I am so proud of them.”
Cole, a winning team member, said, “My motivation changed when I realized how many people’s lives could be impacted by our idea. I went from aiming to broaden my own experiences to caring deeply for the individuals whose lives we could help to improve.”
This was the first Challenge to combine Pitt graduate students with ones from other universities. Cole said, “We overcame our packed schedules and geographic differences to create something that we all truly believe in.”
Win-Win Jobs Fair
As the Challenge has grown, so has its finale, led by Katz’s Career Management & Corporate Engagement and Graduate Programs teams. Previously held via video conferencing, this year’s finale was expanded to include more teams, networking opportunities, and a new jobs fair.
The first-ever Graduate Technology & Analytics Jobs Fair hosted over 120 students and eight companies and nonprofits hiring graduate-level talent. This fair was held in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Technology Council as a part of their HireUp program. Graduate students from across the region were invited to attend.
Sam Musselman, associate director for Corporate Engagement at Katz, praised the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s impact on the region. “They bring together the tech community here in Pittsburgh,” he says. “They empower their member organizations in a variety of ways, including talent growth and retention, so they were great to partner with for a graduate technology and analytics fair.”
The jobs fair was engaging, well-attended, and drew interest from companies that serve various industry consumers. Musselman believes that the fair can grow in the future to accommodate more companies and students. He said, “There is such great graduate student talent in this region, and it would be great to keep many of them here in the Pittsburgh region working after graduation. This fair helps foster connections between regional companies and talent.”
Challenge History
The Challenge has grown tremendously in the past four years. Over 200 students have participated, generating over 30 projects aimed at changing the lives of the people in the region. Challenge ideas have focused on workforce development, mental health, hunger, and homelessness. Continuation projects for ideas generated in the Challenge are a part of the Bridge Program.
At the finale, Albrecht Powell, an executive-in-residence (EIR) from Accenture who works closely with the challenge, congratulated students on their ideas: “Everyone here has ideas that will move the needle of workforce development in the region.”
Special Thanks
Rebecca Badawy, associate dean for MBA and Specialty Masters at Katz, led the charge in thanking the large groups that made this challenge possible., saying, “These transformative efforts take a village.”
The Career Management & Corporate Engagement team at Katz wanted to give special thanks to our participating community partners including the Allegheny Conference, Catalyst Connection, Partner4Work, and Results for America.
Thank you as well to the advisory committee members, executive coaches, expert contributors, professional development workshop presenters, and academic community partners.
Watch a recap video of the finale here. WPXI’s “Our Region’s Business” covered this year’s events. Watch the segment online. . Jonathan Kersting hosted members of the Super Analytics Challenge Committee on the Pittsburgh Tech Council’s TechVibe Radio Podcast. Listen to the session.
