The poster and project competitions are directed by the ASA/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Joint Committee on Curriculum in Statistics and Probability. First-place winners received $300, a certificate, and grade-appropriate graphing calculators for the students and advisers provided by Texas Instruments. Second-place winners received $200 and a certificate; third-place winners received $100 and a certificate; and honorable mentions received certificates.

The 2022 ASA Data Visualization Poster Competition leader was Jennifer Broatch of Arizona State University. Michelle Larson of the University of Iowa was the head project competition leader.

Posters, submitted digitally either as photos of physical posters or a digital poster, are due every year on April 1. Projects are written reports submitted by students in grades 7–12 and are due on June 1.

National Project Competition Winners

Each year, the statistical project competition attracts a wide variety of submissions in which students from grades 7–12 conduct creative studies. The competition is especially useful for these students because it provides them with opportunities to apply all the statistical skills they have acquired throughout the school year to solve real-world problems of interest to them.

First Place

Annabelle Lee, Olivia Lucero, Cynthia Zhang, and Lia Zheng
Muffin Madness
Canyon Crest Academy
San Diego, California

Judges’ Comments: This project was a well-designed matched pairs experiment investigating blueberries in the baking of muffins. The judges were pleased with the clear and concise writing and the easy flow of the text. The reflection section is particularly strong and thoughtful. In their reflection, the author addresses several of the shortcomings of the study design and describes methods to address those issues; in addition, the author provides thoughtful suggestions for further investigation. The judges appreciated the discussion of statistical significance vs. practical significance included with the results.

Second Place

Shrey Goel, Andie Gately, and Allison Kim
Are Clorox Wipes Really Effective at Killing Bacteria?
Canyon Crest Academy
San Diego, California

Judges’ Comments: This project was well-written and easily followed. The images of data collection were clear and added to clarity of the paper. The dotplot and boxplot were shown using the same scale and numerically aligned, making this a strong visual component of the project. The judges appreciated the description and perseverance of the authors in the collection of data (describing real issues encountered by researchers!) and the personality of the writing (“a strongly worded review”). The use of “prove” was of concern in the conclusion, however, the project uses sound statistical processes and was scored highly by the judges.

Third Place

Catherine Zhou
Effectiveness of Chemical Sunscreen versus Mineral Sunscreen in Water
Lynbrook High School
San Jose, California

Judges’ Comments: This project was clear and easily read; it discusses a timely topic of interest to the general population. The data collection and reflection show a high level of problem solving, which was necessary to answer the statistical question posed by the student. The judges would have preferred to have the histograms aligned using the same scale to aid in visual comparisons. The result of the hypothesis shows evidence of a difference in treatments but fails to describe the difference in a practical way; a confidence interval and interpretation would be a nice addition to the results. The reflection section was strong and suggested several modifications for further research.

Honorable Mention

Mark Pasacreta
The Effect Being in a Group Has on Putting Shopping Carts Away
Chatham High School
Chatham, New Jersey

Judges’ Comments: This project investigated a timely and interesting research question. The judges found the writing to be complete but would prefer a more succinct presentation. The author correctly states this is an observational study but fails to clearly identify the population of interest which weakens the presentation (e.g. checking of conditions, design of study). The data is presented clearly both numerically and graphically; segmented bar graphs would better align with the hypothesis test conducted. The reflection is strong and demonstrates a very good understanding of collecting data and possible biases in regards to observational studies.

2022 Data Visualization Poster Competition Winners

Grades K–3

First Place
Dr. Petrick’s Third-Grade Class
3rd-Grade Gold-Medal Observations on the Olympics
Timmons Elementary School
Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Second Place
Sana P. Kannan
Do You Like Book Battle in School?
Uriah H. Lawton Elementary School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Third Place
Naomi Tzingounis and Jayden Chen
Are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Graders Scared of Shots?
Dorothy C. Goodwin Elementary
Storrs, Connecticut

Honorable Mention
Sadie Feeney
A Study for All Seasons
Rydal East Elementary School
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania

Grades 4–6

First Place
Erin Park
Location of Quality Universities and Other Contributors to the University
O’hara Elementary School
Aspinwall, Pennsylvania

Second Place and Best Overall Graph
Remi Ella Maloney
Most ‘Puppular’ Dog Breeds in the USA
Lied STEM Academy
Las Vegas, Nevada

Third Place
Lilah Korsmo and Clare Petrov
Does Your Favorite Color Affect Your Hobbies and Personality?
Hawken School
Gates Mills, Ohio

Honorable Mention
Mubtasim Rafan
Are You Aware of Climate Change?
Mansfield Middle School
Storrs, Connecticut

Grades 7–9

First Place
William Butler and Parker Stusek
How Do Students Portray Themselves in the Classroom?
Hawken School
Gates Mills, Ohio

 
 
 
 
Second Place
Areli Martin Olivia and Serra Icasa-Soto
Aim for the Top
Hyde Park Middle School
Las Vegas, Nevada

Third Place
Siona A. Pramoda
A la Carte Cyber Safety: Learning from Teachers and Videos, Going to Parents and Friends When in Trouble
Baldwin School of Puerto Rico
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Honorable Mention
Riley Schwartz and Erin Cahalane
Climate Change Is Occurring Rapidly
Half Hollow Hills High School West
Dix Hills, New York

Grades 10–12

First Place
Sumira Naroola, Joseph Chen, Jayden Cheung, and Samuel Jebaraj
Background: Financial Literacy & Global Economic Health
Valley Christian High School
San Jose, California

Second Place
Bhavya Yarlagadda, Sydney Lynch, Serena Pei, and Olivia Fang
Global Warming
Valley Christian High School
San Jose, California

Third Place
Theo Au-Yeung
Who Is the GOAT of European Soccer?
Burlingame High School
Burlingame, California

Honorable Mention
Amanda Lee
Teen Pregnancy and Sex Education
Hawken School
Gates Mills, Ohio

Honorable Mention
James Roberts
Have NBA Teams Improved in Choosing Draft Picks?
Westlake High School
Austin, Texas

Get Involved
Learn how you can start a regional poster competition or mentor students in your area.

For additional information or questions regarding how to get involved in the poster or project competitions, contact ASA K–12 Education Coordinator Rebecca Nichols.