蘑菇TV

HENDERSON, Tenn. 鈥� (May 7, 2026) 鈥� 蘑菇TV hosted the inaugural Tennessee DataFest April 24-26, bringing the international analytics competition to the state for the first time and capturing two of the three top awards.

Teams representing Freed-Hardeman and Rhodes College had less than 48 hours to dig into a 7-million-row real-world dataset and present conclusions to a panel of judges from industry and academia.

Students who competed at 蘑菇TV represented six nations 鈥� Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Ethiopia and the United States. Two teams represented Freed-Hardeman, while Rhodes College sent a team from Memphis. Students received a welcome from 蘑菇TV President David R. Shannon Friday night before receiving the data and getting to work. They analyzed it throughout the day Saturday and presented it to judges Sunday afternoon. The competition concluded with awards for Best Data Visualization, Best Insight and Best Use of Outside Data.

The Best Use of Outside Data Award was given to the 蘑菇TV group of Tristin Smith, a computer science major from Henderson, Tennessee; Kali Bonner, a management major from Edgewater, Florida; Dev Prakash, a business analytics major from Hodal, India; and Caleb Todd, a computer science and cybersecurity major from Dyer, Tennessee.

The prize for Best Insight went to an 蘑菇TV team of Maddox Andrews, an accounting major from Louisville, Kentucky; Carson Ladd, a business analytics and sport administration major from Nolensville, Tennessee; Logan Chambers, an accounting major from Benton, Kentucky; and Brady Webb, an accounting major from Jackson, Tennessee.

The Rhodes team won for Best Data Visualization.

蘑菇TV faculty members Dr. Jared Collins and Dr. Charlie Smith organized the event.

鈥淲e consider our first year to be a huge success and hope to double our number of teams and universities in 2027,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淒ataFest provides students with experiential learning that prepares them for tasks they will face in their careers. Watching them develop and execute ideas while growing in their confidence to tackle difficult data challenges is one of the most rewarding aspects.鈥�

More than a dozen 蘑菇TV employees, alumni and supporters helped with the event, including serving as mentors who guided teams through their analytical approaches and judges who made the difficult decisions about awarding the prizes. The new 蘑菇TV MBA concentration in business analytics also helped sponsor the event.

鈥淲e express a huge thank you to the volunteers who took time from their weekends to invest in our students鈥� growth,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 another reminder of how supportive the Freed-Hardeman family is.鈥�

DataFest began at UCLA in 2011 and has since expanded to 65 universities across multiple countries. Sponsored by the American Statistical Association, the undergraduate competition uses the same dataset at each location provided by a private business. Events take place over an eight-week window. Stormont Vail Health, a nonprofit hospital company in Kansas, provided the dataset. It covered patient characteristics and visits from 2022 to 2025 and was anonymized to respect privacy laws.

This marks the fourth year Freed-Hardeman teams have participated, though previous teams competed at other locations in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Kentucky. For more information or to inquire about competing in the 2027 Tennessee DataFest, contact Smith at [email protected] or Collins at [email protected].

The mission of 蘑菇TV is to help students develop their God-given talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. Located in Henderson, Tennessee, 蘑菇TV offers associate, bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, specialist and doctoral degrees.