2019 Student Research Case Study Challenge

The Society of Actuaries (SOA) is dedicated to advancing education and research for the actuarial profession. As part of its mission, the SOA recognizes the importance of partnering with colleges and universities to help develop future actuaries. With this in mind, the SOA’s Research Department is holding a Student Research Case Study Challenge, which provides an opportunity for teams of students to apply their actuarial skills on a real world problem. Materials for the case study, which focuses on designing an automobile insurance product for autonomous vehicles, are located at the bottom on this page.

SOA Announces Recipients Of 2019 Student Research Case Study Challenge

2019 Student Research Case Study Challenge - 1st Place Team, Drake University

The Society of Actuaries (SOA) announces the recipients of the 2019 Student Research Case Study Challenge:

• First place: Drake University, with a $5,000 grant. (Winning Submission)
• Second Place: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a $3,000 grant. (Winning Submission)
• Third place: Two schools tied for third place. In alphabetical order: 
  Arizona State University  (Winning Submission) and 
  Lisbon School of Economics and Management, University of Lisbon (Winning Submission) 
  Both schools with a $2,000 grant each.

Other finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

• Boston University (Winning Submission)
• Purdue University (Winning Submission)
• Towson University (Winning Submission)

Semi-finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

• Arizona State University
• Australian National University
• Ball State University
• Bandung Institute of Technology
• Columbia University
• Institute of Insurance and Risk Management, Hyderabad, India
• Macquarie University
• Nanyang Technological University, Entry 1
• Nanyang Technological University, Entry 2
• Renmin University of China
• Robert Morris University
• Towson University
• Université du Québec à Montréal
• University of California Los Angeles
• University of California San Diego
• University of Lisbon
• University of Toronto

About The Student Research Case Study Challenge

Over the course of eight weeks, teams of up to five students will research a case study situation, conduct actuarial analysis, formulate solutions, and present recommendations.  The work will require a team approach to identify issues and organize priorities. The team will need to understand and select from potential data sources, develop models with appropriate accuracy metrics, summarize relevant results, and then present recommendations in a written format.  Teams are encouraged to seek guidance from a faculty advisor to assist them in their overall approach.  Teams can look forward to showcasing their creativity while building synergies within an actuarial setting.

Submissions will be graded by the judges, and the teams with the top submissions will be invited to present their submissions to the judges via audio and/or video conference, with the target being to have these presentations prior to April 12, 2019.  All teams meeting a minimum standard will be recognized in official SOA publications and team members will be awarded a certificate of participation.

Materials

2019 Student Research Case Study Challenge

Safelite Auto Claims Data, 2009-2018

This is an updated excel file that contains two sheets of claims data. The first sheet is unprotected and the second sheet is protected.

Podcast

2019 Student Research Case Study Challenge

Questions Or Comments?

If you have comments or questions, please send an email to research@soa.org.