MacEwan University - Data Analysis

MacEwan University, located in downtown Edmonton, is one of Alberta’s six universities. Through the Level UP remote internship program, Christina Anoton, a Department of Mathematics & Statistics professor, partnered with Sandy Jr Julian to complete a data analysis project.

A student studying mathematics and applied statistics at MacEwan University, Sandy worked on a time series analysis of Alberta oil prices and the Canada/U.S. dollar exchange rate. “I had to model the data set for each topic from 2010 through 2022 and get a prediction from both. Then I had to find a correlation between them.”  

After Sandy excelled in Professor Anoton’s Time Series Analysis course, she knew he would be a good fit for this project. “He was an outstanding student in this class. He was the first in this class. He had the programming skills to do this project.” 

Sandy completed this project for Professor Anton and used the results to compete in the Canadian Statistics Student Conference, where he presented his work and took second place in this national event. “I think it was a good opportunity for him to gain more experience working with a complex question, a real-life problem. This analysis developed his programming skills, and since it got an award in a national competition, it was definitely good for Sandy’s CV.” 

This project also gave Sandy confidence in his skills and reinforced his future career plans. “This project gave me real-life experience that makes me feel prepared for my future. And it made me love data analysis even more.” 

The Level UP program has been a perfect fit for Professor Anton. The seamless process was also a perk for her. “I use these projects for students to gain more experience working on this type of analysis. It was a very convenient way for students to get financial support. The application wasn’t long. For some grants, you have to write pages and pages. I really appreciated the ease and flexibility of this program.” 

For Sandy, the mentorship was invaluable. “This was a great experience since I’ve been mentored and managed by one of the best and most well-known professors in time series analysis. I would definitely recommend this way of learning to other students.” 

Professor Anton couldn’t agree more. “This was a great experience. [Level UP] is a great opportunity for students to gain practical experience working on a complex project. It was excellent, and I only have good things to say about Level UP.” 

Thank you to Sandy Jr Julian for sharing his experience on Riipen. To learn more about how you can get started with the Level UP remote internship program as a student or employer, visit the website here. ‍Stay updated with the latest in higher education, experiential learning, and the future of work, and subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Riipen Report.

Riipen Level UP program is funded by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL) Initiatives program. The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.

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