Wendy Martinez, GSS Section Chair

The Government Statistics Section sponsored their first data challenge in 2015. The contest—open to anyone, including college students and professionals from the private or public sectors—was considered a success.

Participants were challenged to analyze the U.S. Census Bureau’s tract and block planning databases using any statistical and/or visualization tools and methods. Eight contestants participated; the following were chosen as winners:

Professional: “Tailoring Outreach to Boost Mail Self-Response in Geographic Areas with Similar Low Response Rates,” Darryl Creel, RTI

Student: “Census Tract-Level Disparities: Examining Food Swamps and Food Deserts,” Lucy D’Agostino McGowan and Alice Toll, Vanderbilt University

The Government Statistics Section will sponsor another data challenge in 2016. It will follow the same general format and be open to college students and professionals. For more information, visit the GSS website.