MISSA DA Team

What is the DA Team?

MISSA's Data Analytics Team is a collaborative community designed for individuals passionate about data analytics. Our mission is to bring together like-minded enthusiasts to share resources, exchange knowledge and work on exciting projects. As a member, you’ll have the chance to participate in competitions, hackathons, and research initiatives, as well as host or attend skill-building workshops. Whether you're looking to dive into hands-on projects or simply expand your network, your time commitment is entirely flexible, tailored to your availability and interests.

Gain exposure and build connections

"Learn by doing" through case studies

Learn data visualization and machine learning tools

Collaborate with like-minded students on projects

DA Team Schedule

01

Application

Interested in joining the MISSA Data Analytics Team? Applications open every fall semester, with candidates selected by October. All students are encouraged to apply, regardless of major or prior experience.

The application process consists of two rounds:

Short interview: Get to know the team and share your interests in data analytics.

10-minute Data Analysis Presentation: Showcase your ability to analyze and present data.

To get started, fill out the interest form linked below. This is your chance to join a community passionate about data analytics, gain hands-on experience, and grow your career potential!

02

Training

During the fall semester, MISSA Data Analytics Team members will engage in weekly meetings to learn and practice the Data Exploration and Analysis Process. Members will also enhance their leadership skills by teaching one of three workshops focused on essential data visualization tools: SQL, Tableau, or Python. To support success, clear guidelines and resources are provided for workshop preparation and delivery.

Key learning objectives include:

Performing data cleaning and exploration to uncover insights.

Building dashboards and reports for effective data communication.

Communicating insights clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

To put their skills into action, members will complete a 3-week case study, applying tools and techniques to a real-world dataset. This hands-on project prepares members for the semester-long projects and gives them practical experience solving data challenges. This structured training ensures team members are ready to tackle industry-level problems with confidence and expertise.

03

Semester Projects

As a member of the MISSA Data Analytics Team, you will have the opportunity to work on semester-long projects in partnership with local companies. These projects allow you to apply the data analysis tools and techniques learned during fall training sessions to address real-world business challenges.

Benefits of participating include:

Developing career-ready skills through hands-on experience.

Gaining networking opportunities with industry professionals and local companies.

Building resume-worthy projects to showcase your expertise.

Expected outcomes for each project include a professional presentation to the company and a detailed report summarizing the team’s findings and recommendations. This collaborative experience helps bridge the gap between academic learning and industry practice, preparing members for successful careers in data analytics.

Previous DA Projects

RMDS Data Science Competition The Research Methods and Data Science Lab (also known as the RMDS Lab) is a community of analysts and researchers based out of Pasadena, CA. They aim to empower the scientific community and advance contributions through certification training, data impact consultation and other AI-powered services. During Spring 2021, the RMDS lab held a data science competition with the premise being to use machine learning along with other data analytics techniques to analyze how news sentiment, along with other factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and a region’s mobility index, affected different stock prices of the fossil fuel industry. The 2021-2022 Co-Directors of the DA team, Ryan Peji and Marisa Nakanishi, took lead of this project and found it as a valuable learning experience.
ISACA Electric Vehicle Case Study ISACA Los Angeles Chapter, So Cal Edison, and MISSA's Data Analytics team worked together to work on a case study to analyze data and visualize data using PowerBI and Tableau to provide recommendations to SCE as to where to place Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in the most effective locations. The goal is to place the EV charging stations in areas that would make EV charging more accessible to residents living in multifamily buildings. At least 50% of the stations must be located in environmentally impacted and disadvantaged communities in order to encourage EV adoption in those areas. The team will be presenting their findings and teaching industry professionals how to achieve similar dashboards during the SheLeadsTech Conference.
SoCal Edison Power Outage Project SoCal Edison and MISSA's Data Analytics team analyzed the reasons for the escalation in power outages whether it is due to heat waves, rainstorms, and/or rising instances of vandalism. MISSA's Data Analytics team goal is to leverage machine learning and data analysis to enable SoCal Edison to rapidly identify the outage type and expected duration of power outage.
Forecasting Future Energy Needs SoCal Edison and MISSA's Data Analytics team's objective for this project is to develop a comprehensive system to forecast future energy requirements by county, supporting SCE in infrastructure development and resource allocation. The project aims to create customized energy-saving programs for areas with high energy usage.
EMP SoCal Edison Project So Cal Edison and MISSA's Data Analytics team analyzed the research question, "How can correlating EMPs with environmental and solar phenomena enhance SoCal Edison's preparedness for potential distruptions?" They used Python and Tableau libraries to craft visual representations providing in-depth analysis and exploration to identify key outcomes, trends, and conclusions.

Have we caught your interest?

Click below to join us!

Get Involved

Have questions?

Contact our Director of Data Analytics for more information!

Nikhitha Vasiraju

dadirectors@calpolymissa.org