BAM! Student Organization

BAM!

A Registered Student Organization (RSO) for business students on the cutting edge.

In the future, most information is going to be bits of data,” says Dr. Ishuan Li Simonson, professor of finance. “In order to understand what those bits of data tell you; you need to have techniques and skillsets that allow you to analyze that in the proper context of a market economy.”

Li Simonson is the faculty advisor for the Business Analytics and Modelers (BAM) club. The registered student organization launched in 2020 under Li Simonson's guidance and has already grown to about 40 members. The goal of BAM is to introduce students to business analytics while building real analytics skills—and it’s not just for finance majors or even business majors.

“The majority of students in the club are business students, however this is a great club for computer science and statistics majors as well,” says BAM president Forrest Babcock. “One of the best parts about BAM is that the skills learned in this club can be applied outside of the classroom.”

Li Simonson agrees. “Business analytics is primarily about critical thinking skills,” she says. “In the future, most information is going to be bits of data. In order to understand what those bits of data tell you, you need to have techniques and skillsets that allow you to analyze that in the proper context of a market economy.”

Over the past two academic years, BAM students have participated in software workshops and recruiter events. Students also get to practice real-world data visualization using tools they’ll need to know after graduation.

“One example of this is our Tableau data visualization workshop,” says Babcock. “Many companies use Tableau on a regular basis so coming into an entry level role with a working knowledge of this software is extremely helpful.”

Forrest Babcock '22, graduate and BAM member of the year pictured with Dean Flannery, President Inch, and Dr. Ishuan Li Simonson.