Held March 6–7 at Florida International University, the meeting brought close to 130 participants and faculty mentors for two days of research presentations, training sessions and the region’s largest student statistical competition. The Department’s Divisions of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics were prominently represented throughout the event.

The Student Data Challenge, organized by Min Lu, Ph.D., research associate professor of biostatistics and Secretary of the ASA South Florida Chapter, tasked students at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels with analyzing a public‑health dataset modeled on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The dataset included information on dietary intake, demographic and socioeconomic factors, body measurements such as height and weight, and health-related behaviors, allowing participants to apply statistical methods to complex, real-world public health data. Submissions were evaluated through a multi-stage review process that considered both analytical performance and the clarity and rigor of each team’s approach, with top teams recognized across award categories.

Students earned recognition across multiple award categories:

Distinguished Achievement Award (Top 10%)

• Ruixuan Zhu

Certificate of Statistical Merit (Top 20%)

• Zihao Wang (presented a deep‑learning application onsite)
• Qiming Wu
• Xueru Ma
• Zhixin Mao

Leadership, Mentorship and Scientific Contributions

The award ceremony was led by Shari Messinger, Ph.D., professor of biostatistics and President of the ASA South Florida Chapter, who also recognized the contributions of faculty supporting student engagement and training.

Dr. Messinger commended Dr. Lu’s leadership, sharing:

“I want to express how very impressed I am with Dr. Lu’s work on organizing the session and the student data challenge. Having watched you grow from a student into a successful faculty member has been a joy. She is a fantastic representative of the faculty and that makes me so proud.”

The Biostatistics Division was further represented in the scientific program through research presentations by Wei Zhang, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate; doctoral students Sibei Liu, Yanchen Chen, Xuan Chen and Tianhao Liu; and Hilma Gallegos, a student researcher mentored by University faculty.

Notably, Sibei Liu was named the sole recipient of the Student Paper Competition Award, a separate honor recognizing outstanding individual research.

For these students, the experience extends beyond competition, contributing to the skills and training that shape their future work in public health.

Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published March 17, 2026.