We celebrated a successful launch of the first Data Science and Actuarial Career Fair on September 26, 2024. Spearheaded by Drs. Brian Hartman and Matthew Heaton, the event attracted 52 employers and over 400 students, marking a significant milestone for our career development initiatives.
Dr. Hartman expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thanks to the 52 employers and 400+ students who attended. Special thanks to Matthew Heaton, Brian Hartman, Chandler Saenz, Kimri Mansfield, Lane Muranaka, BYU Careers & Experiential Learning, BYU Statistics, and BYU College of Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences for all the work they did to make it great.”
Lane Muranaka, the department’s career director, highlighted the event’s success, noting the perfect venue, great weather, and overwhelmingly positive feedback. “The students that I talked to were very appreciative of the event and felt like it was a very helpful resource as they plan their future careers,” Muranaka said. The fair also facilitated on-campus interviews for over 100 students with 12 organizations.
A memorable moment from the fair was when two alumni, who had been working together remotely for years, met in person for the first time to invite students to join their ranks. The event also saw recent alumni representing their new workplaces, sharing how their education at BYU in statistics, data science, biostatistics, and actuarial science had been invaluable.
With such a successful inaugural event, BYU looks forward to expanding the fair in the coming years to support even more students and companies. If you'd like to get involved in next year's fair on September 25, 2025, email Dr. Hartman at hartman@stat.byu.edu.