18/12/2023
The IE Sustainability Datathon 2023 gave students the opportunity to implement their newly acquired AI and machine learning skills to tackle a water supply challenge posed by Acciona Agua. We caught up with the 2023 winners to hear more about how they came together to create their winning project in partnership with Acciona.
Launched by the IE School of Science and Technology, the IE Sustainability Datathon brings together 90 students from different bachelor’s, master’s and dual degree programs. The 2023 edition challenged students to work in teams to develop machine learning models to forecast filtered water demand and consumption for an area selected by Acciona Agua. Over the course of three weeks, students used the company’s data to create their solutions and pitch them to a panel of judges made up of partners and sponsors.
A group of five, the 2023 winners recently joined us to share their experience as a team. Alan Corrales-Cortez and Nawid Fatahi from the Dual Degree International MBA & Master in Business Analytics and Big Data, Tabea Herbst from the Dual Degree Master in Management & Master in Business Analytics and Big Data, Vanessa Vega Valdés from the Master in Business Analytics and Big Data and Charles Beyrard from the Dual Degree Master in Finance & Business Analytics and Big Data chose to come together and combine their various skill sets to create a model that offered social and economic value.
The decision to participate in the challenge came with many moving parts. It was a great opportunity to take the theory they were learning in the classroom and apply it to a real-world project with a connection to a current sustainability issue. Plus, the challenge would help the students earn a certification for sustainability in tech.
“It was also great to collaborate with students from other programs. Due to our different backgrounds, we were able to lean into our business approach a bit more.”
The blend of talents really made a difference in this team’s results.
On the other hand, the diverse range of talent on the different teams was a big motivation: “If this challenge would have only been against colleagues of our program, we could have easily estimated how they work and what they know. But because there was such a unique blend of skills, we pushed ourselves to work even harder.”
AI was the heartbeat of the winning team’s solution. Acciona Agua wanted a solution that would predict not only water demand but also the challenges they would face to meet that demand, such as pressure leaks, water pressure, and drops, spikes and leaks. This required the team to use a very large set of historical data, generate insights and then predict a future. They were able to find the right way to combine all the data to extract the information they were looking for. “Everyone complimented the process. Each one of us contributed in a very particular way, which led to our breakthroughs and to amazing results at the end.”
The final ceremony showcased five teams. “You could really see where everyone’s mind was going in regard to strategy and the technical element.” Alan, Charles, Nawid, Tabea and Vanessa decided to hone in on their strategy.
“We didn’t complicate anything with too many graphs or too many colors; we just dove right into the business side of it all.”
That dive seemed to be where they blew everyone out of the water: “Everyone was so focused on the technical piece and showing charts that the judges had a lot of questions about. The technical piece took us to the finals, but our differentiating factor was our executive pitch—a skill we learned in our programs.”
The students are all extremely thankful for the experience and thrilled that their hard work paid off. “When you go to school, you’re trying to learn as much as possible, and you usually can’t find an opportunity to apply that knowledge. The best part of this is having an experience that is more valuable than learning theory from a book,” explained Alan. Tabea went on to note,
“We had the opportunity to be very creative and complete a project in a way that worked for us and would be influential to our own needs and goals.”
More than just the experience during the program, the challenge will be beneficial to the students in their future career paths. “Recruiters are actively looking to see what we can do with our skills. It’s not just about having the tools, but knowing what to do with them,” says Vanessa. Nawid also walked away with ideas for his future: “In class, you’re focused on the theory. This is a small piece of a big puzzle. You really need to understand how this cutting-edge technology intersects with real-life applications to create real-life business, economic and social value. This understanding is something we can take with us into interviews going forward.” Benefitting from the collaboration between Acciona Agua and IE University has given the students real-world experience that will help to set them apart and build valuable connections for their future endeavors.
As for future IE Sustainability Datathon participants, the team would recommend you find a group that you enjoy working with and who you trust. “It isn’t about just hanging out with your friends and surviving the challenge, it’s an opportunity to work with a company and apply something you’ve learned to a real-world issue.”
