TITAN ALERT
First Place for “Best Visualization” and Representing the College with Distinction
County College of Morris (CCM) proudly announces a standout performance at the 2025 National American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest™, where two student teams represented the college with distinction. Among them, Titan Byte earned first place for “Best Visualization,” a national recognition celebrating their creativity, technical skills and collaborative spirit.
The three-day event, held April 11-13, brought together 22 teams from two-year colleges across the country. Students faced an exciting, hands-on challenge to analyze a complex dataset and present their findings, all in one weekend.
CCM’s Titan Byte impressed the judges with their deep analysis of a real-world dataset from a real estate firm, comparing trends pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic. The team used tools such as Python, R, Tableau and Excel to explore data through heat maps, regression models, trend analysis and animations over time.
The following CCM students were members of the award-winning team:
- Evan Sertic – Data Science Option major and Data Analytics Certificate
- Elizabeth Trunk – Liberal Arts/Science major and Data Analytics Certificate
- Juan Baldarrago – Computer Science major
- Kathryn Tam – Biology Option major in Science and Mathematics
- Kishan Prajapati – Computer Science major with Information Security and Data Analytics Certificates
Professor Amjed Hedhli in the Information Technologies department reflected, “This achievement shows what students can do when they are supported and challenged. I am proud of their hard work; it was truly a team effort.”
In addition, CCM’s Titan TrendSetters delivered a competitive, robust performance, using R and Excel tools to showcase their analytical insight and collaborative effort. Team members included Brandon Fernandes – Data Science Option major and Data Analytics Certificate, Raiden Paulhus – Computer Science major, Asha Cumberbatch – Data Analytics Certificate and Alexis Brito – Information Technologies major with both Information Security and Data Analytics Certificates.
The impressive achievement of both teams is a testament to the high-quality education and mentorship offered at CCM. Teams were guided by dedicated faculty mentors in CCM’s Department of Information Technologies, including Professor Amjed Hedhli for Titan Byte and Professor Colleen Carmeli for Titan TrendSetters. Both teams presented their projects to the CCM community at the college’s Honors Showcase last week.
DataFest™ was founded at UCLA in 2011 and is now sponsored by the American Statistical Association. It is hosted by some of the most prestigious colleges and universities, with participation by over 2,000 students.
CCM’s deep commitment to student achievement at DataFest™ was supported by the continued leadership of CCM Associate Vice President Kelly Fitzpatrick and CCM Professor Nancy Binowski. The college’s participation was also made possible with support from the National Science Foundation ATE Award #2400709, “The Establishment of a Data Science Institute at a Two-Year Community College,” and the NJCCC Pathways project for Data and Computer Science.
For more information about CCM’s degree and certificate programs in computer science, data science, information technologies and more, visit www.ccm.edu/pathways/computers-it.
