On the morning of June 27, the defense round of the Shanghai regional competition of the 2026 (12th) National College Student Statistical Modeling Competition was held at Tongji University. The event was hosted by the School of Mathematical Sciences of Tongji University. Experts and scholars in statistics from the Survey Office of the National Bureau of Statistics in Shanghai and from universities including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and East China Normal University were invited to serve as judges. A total of 38 teams from 11 universities across the city competed on the same stage for the slots to advance to the national competition.

Yang Yiting, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the School of Mathematical Sciences of Tongji University, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. On behalf of the school, he extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to the review experts and all the participating faculty and students. He noted that statistics is a foundational and instrumental discipline that empowers economic and social development and supports scientific and technological innovation, and that the statistical modeling competition serves as an important vehicle for young students to hone their research thinking, practical ability and innovative literacy. He encouraged all participants to maintain their passion for academic pursuit, scale the heights of scientific research, and contribute their wisdom and strength to the high-quality development of the discipline of statistics.

Professor Yang Xiaohan gave a detailed introduction to the Master of Applied Statistics program at Tongji University, covering its distinctive training approach, faculty strengths, research platforms and career prospects. With a long-standing commitment to cultivating applied statistics talent, the program emphasizes the all-round development of students’ capabilities in data analysis, model construction and research innovation. She sincerely welcomed outstanding students from universities across Shanghai to apply for further study at Tongji, to delve into the field of statistics together and pursue their research aspirations.

Following the opening ceremony, the Shanghai regional defense officially began.

The entries featured a broad and highly practical range of topics, spanning key areas such as artificial intelligence, healthcare, and transportation and logistics. Closely aligned with the pressing issues and challenges in high-quality economic and social development in the new era, they applied professional statistical methods to unlock the value of data, analyze real-world problems, and propose scientifically sound and feasible optimization plans and policy recommendations. With clear thinking, rigorous logic and well-substantiated arguments, the teams fully demonstrated their solid grounding in professional theory and their ability to process data and apply models, showcasing the sense of responsibility of contemporary college students to serve society on the basis of their expertise.

This competition provided a platform for students from Shanghai universities to exchange ideas, learn from one another and make progress together, helping participants consolidate their professional foundation and sharpen their research capabilities. It is hoped that young students will take this competition as an opportunity to continue deepening their engagement in the field of statistics, uphold the spirit of innovation and exploration, harness the power of data and stay committed to the path of research, thereby injecting more youthful energy into the high-quality development of society.

It is reported that the National College Student Statistical Modeling Competition, guided by the National Bureau of Statistics and hosted by the China Statistical Education Society, is a national professional discipline competition. Since its founding in 2009, it has gained wide recognition from universities and society at large. Since the launch of promotion and registration in March this year, the Shanghai regional selection of the 2026 (12th) National College Student Statistical Modeling Competition has attracted enthusiastic participation from 2,727 students at more than 30 universities across the city. A total of 495 entries were submitted to this year’s selection round (382 from the undergraduate category and 113 from the graduate category). The regional organizing committee invited experts in statistics from within and outside Shanghai to conduct a blinded correspondence review of the entries, and 38 teams were selected by score to enter the municipal defense round (27 in the undergraduate category and 11 in the graduate category). Following rigorous evaluation by the professional judges, the undergraduate category produced 38 first prizes, 76 second prizes and 114 third prizes at the regional level, while the graduate category produced 11 first prizes, 22 second prizes and 33 third prizes.