To lessen the negative impact of unemployment on individuals and society, governments and corporations need to understand how much and where people are most economically impacted by unemployment. We are looking for more people to help by participating in a virtual multi-phased data science hackathon called “Hacking Unemployment”! There are still about 50 spots left before the minimum requirements of participation are met by the sponsors of the hack. It is planned to start on November 2, 2022, and there is a free info session and two online tutorials happening November 1 at 7 pm via Zoom (see details at the end of the email).
The upcoming IronHacks “Hacking Unemployment” Data Science Challenge for Fall 2022 is different from a typical 24- to 48-hour hackathon. Using real-world data from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, you will have three weeks to develop a model to predict unemployment claims using historical data. The data are unique: They aren’t accessible to the public yet, they are updated in real-time, and they are large in volume.
Further, you are not just scored on the predictiveness of your model—while the accuracy of your model matters, we also want to reward your creativity. The more you explore and learn, the greater the chances that your creativity and exploration will be recognized.
$2000 in prize money is up for grabs. Get rewarded for learning data science using tools like Jypyter Notebooks and BigQuery.
Even if you are not an expert in modeling temporal data, this competition is still for you! We will help you learn about data science through free, real-time tutorial sessions that run from November 1–3 (see more details after registration in the tab tutorials here.
This is a fantastic learning opportunity, and the options are limitless!
Incentives and rewards:
Prizes: We will rank our participants and award the top ranks with Amazon gift cards. The rank will be based on the quality (accuracy) as well as the exploration effort and creativity of each participant’s submissions. The total prize money is $2000.
Certificates: Every participant will receive a digital certificate for participation with logos of the sponsors such as the Department of Workforce Development (DWD), Rosen Center for Advanced Computing (RCAC), the Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI), and the Research Center for Open Digital Innovation (RCODI).
Job-ready: Looking for a job? Your work in this hack can be a portfolio that showcases your problem-solving abilities. What’s more valuable to employers than being able to solve real-world problems creatively?
Showcases: We will share the winning solutions on the website.
Learning experience: As we have learned from prior hacks, the iterative IronHacks process, combined with the tools and features of the IronHacks platform, offers a unique learning experience that is distinct from those you might have experienced on other sites (e.g. Kaggle.com).
Registration is now open. The hack launches on November 1 and registration closes on November 5th, 2022 (11:59 p.m.). More details about the timeline can be find after registration here by accessing the calendar.
Join us via Zoom, here, for a kick-off information session on Tuesday, November 1, from 7:00 until approximately 8:30 p.m. We will introduce the task and then run our first two tutorials. A calendar of the hack is also available online.
Learn more about the Fall 2022 challenge, here.
Your participation makes a real difference. See you in IronHacks!