NC State’s Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) Class of 2022 students, in 23 teams, have commenced their eight-month practicum projects. After signing non-disclosure agreements, teams completed kickoff meetings with their sponsor organizations to better understand the context of the business problems they’ve been tasked with solving. Using the scrum system of project management, teams are breaking down the daunting workload into two-week sprints. Each team recently met with the Institute’s faculty — a regular practice — to discuss their initial impressions of their data sets and ideas for analysis.
![](https://datacolumn.iaa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/liveoak_team-1024x818.jpg)
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know and working with this team!” said Adi Blanc, practicum team lead. “While we’re still early in the practicum process, we’ve found that we have a well-rounded set of technical and statistical skills on the team as well as strong communication skills. We’ve come together as a team very quickly and I am excited for us to continue growing and learning together; I believe that this experience will build long-term friendships!”
![](https://datacolumn.iaa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Adhikari.jpg)
Adhi Adhikari
Where he calls home: Kathmandu, Nepal
Before the MSA program: Adhi completed his undergraduate degree in computer science and economics at Earlham College in 2018, then worked for three years as a software developer.
Favorite data science tool/technique/topic thus far: Data mining techniques like association analysis and clustering have been the highlight for me so far.
Favorite things to do outside of class: I am either watching or playing soccer most of the time. I also love to cook, go out on long hikes, and play the guitar.
![](https://datacolumn.iaa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Blanc.jpg)
Adi Blanc
Where she calls home: Cary, NC
Before the MSA program: Adi earned a bachelor’s in biomedical and health sciences engineering from UNC–Chapel Hill in 2016 and a Master of Physiology from NC State in 2019. She worked in healthcare technology for two years and as an analyst at IHS Markit for one.
Favorite data science tool/technique/topic thus far: I’ve really enjoyed logistic regression and time series as well as learning how to effectively share our findings through visuals and presentations.
Favorite things to do outside of class: Sharing a meal with friends (especially if I’ve cooked or baked it for them), spending time outside, and playing board games.
![](https://datacolumn.iaa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Calderon.jpg)
Alex Calderon
Where he calls home: Greensboro, NC
Before the MSA program: Alex completed his bachelor’s in biological sciences at NC State in 2020. As an undergraduate, he worked as a student lead for NC State University Libraries.
Favorite data science tool/technique/topic thus far: I enjoyed learning about logistic regression and learning the nuances of handling messy data.
Favorite things to do outside of class: Drinking coffee, watching football, and playing card and board games.
![](https://datacolumn.iaa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Menz.jpg)
Nils Menz
Where he calls home: Robertsbridge, England
Before the MSA program: Nils earned his undergraduate degree in textile engineering from NC State in 2021. As a rising senior he interned with ATEX Technologies, focusing on process improvement projects.
Favorite data science tool/technique/topic thus far: Data science as a whole is a fascinating topic; more specifically, I’ve loved the avenues that clustering with text and data mining have opened for me.
Favorite things to do outside of class: I love to go backpacking in the Smokies, watch soccer and cheer on the Wolfpack.
![](https://datacolumn.iaa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Mills.jpg)
Kate Mills
Where she calls home: Raleigh, NC
Before the MSA program: Kate completed her bachelor’s in statistics at NC State in 2021. As an undergraduate, she interned with RTI International for a year, first in their quality office and then in statistics.
Favorite data science tool/technique/topic thus far: I have really enjoyed learning about logistic regression for modeling binary, ordinal, and nominal variables.
Favorite things to do outside of class: Watching football, grabbing dinner with friends, and attending concerts.