Modern sports are all data. Students of the University of Utah have proven their potential as future sports analysts by winning the Sportsmedia Technology 2024 Data ChallengeA competition that gives budding analysts a chance to show their talent and network with industry leaders. In competition with 232 participants from 6 countries, Kendall Ruth, Josh Southwick and Douglas Fenwick won the category of graduate students using baseball data in the real world of the real world to provide innovative game information.
From left to right, the winners of the master of professional sciences Kendall Ruth, Douglas Fenwick and Josh Southwick.
The team studied detailed information on the ground from the moment the ball has left the launcher’s hand at the conclusion of each game. They developed a method to create “screening reports” for strikers – analyzing the trends in their swing and identifying skills … or their absence. Their goal was to use raw data to support training and development of players by creating specialized recommendations for each striker.
The winners continue a Professional scientific master (PSM), A program that emphasizes practical skills and professional development for people to advance their careers in STEM fields. The PSM offers four key career development avenues, including biotechnology, land resources management, environmental sciences and computer science and data – the field of interest for winners. The victory of this team testifies to their talents and the skills they have perfected in the program.
Attheu spoke with the team this spring to discuss his victory and his participation in the PSM.
What is your background and why are you involved in the PSM?
Josh Southwick: “I obtained my baccalaureate in chemistry and I found a job in BiomériBs Salt Lake City. Many of my peers and colleagues had made the PSM program, and I told myself that it is time for me to improve my education and add skills in big data and coding by obtaining a master’s degree in data sciences. ”
Kendall Ruth: “In 2023, I obtained my computer diploma and I wanted to continue my studies. I thought that (PSM) would be good for me to continue to develop my skills in data science. I am the one of the team that is most interested in the science of sports data, which is why we have done this project (SMT). ”
Douglas Fenwick: “I worked as a scientist data with Air Force since 2018. I decided to get my master’s degree with the PSM program because the combination of data science expertise with professional expertise really attracted me. Data science is fun if you like to work with data, and if this data is important at a very high level. ”
Example of the team shot report that coaches can use to target the gaps in the game of a striker in front of launchers on the left and right.
Why data science?
Ruth: “Most of my interest came from sport. I have always watched sports, played a heap when I was younger and I realized that my first introduction to data science in sport was through film money. I think I have a very analytical spirit designed to look at the figures, find trends and create models. ”
Fenwick: “I initially entered statistics, which is quite close to data science. It seemed very useful in a number of areas, and it seduced me a lot. Once I started working, I started to see data science as an application of statistics. ”
Southwick: “With my scientific experience, I always liked very structured things, but I also like this element of the unknown. So when I get a complicated data set, it’s almost like trying to solve a puzzle. How can I get everything to make intelligent inferences? ”
How did the PSM help you win the competition?
Fenwick: “The PSM shines because of the way we learned to communicate. Whether in a written form or in a presentation. Part of our success (in SMT) is definitely due to the fact that we have taken courses on how to present and communicate effectively. ”
Southwick: “This is a great reason why we won. We have this combination of general skills with technical skills, and we have communicated (our ideas) better than the other teams. It was a great increase for us. ”
Ruth: “We made our presentation to an audience that was not in the sports industry. Part of what PSM has taught us is to present scientific results to people with many horizons, so that everyone can understand. ”