Tools Used
- Python (Jupyter Notebook)
- Pandas
- Excel
- Seaborn

Overview
this was my first hackathon and my first time working with a team on a software project. for the macaulay mta datathon we investigated and analyzed a bunch of data regarding the fair fares program and fare evasion. being my first hackathon, its great that it was held in the small, tightknit environment of the macaulay building. i loved working there, and i would be lying if i said i wasnt at least a little jealous of the niche cozy space those macaulay kids have.

Development
this was different than most projects. wheras in a typical hackathon people work towards an mvp for the datathon we were looking at and analyzing data, something i was able to do thanks to my experience at the funds as a data science intern. about a week prior to the event me and sudiptto brainstormed ideas for the hackathon so we already knew the direction we would go in with this. we spent a good amount of time just exploring the data though, since thats a pretty important step. cleaning the data sucked, and i swear the fare evasion data had to have been put together by interns. there were 5 different variation of the word "street" for subway stops! like wtf bro. after spending a while cleaning the data came the "fun" part, the analysis. we got a bunch of cool visualizations with seaborn and made a few charts in excel graphing data compiled with python
with fair fares being a relatively unkown fare reduction program, we proposed a simple change: implementing a button on CUNYFirst for students to apply to fair fares, since thats a huge group that would benefit from the program.

Reflection
we were able to secure the W! 1st place and some prize money was pretty cool, and its going right back into tuition for my winter art class. we also got some cool posters which ill hang up once i get a room to hang it in. we were even able to continue working on this project with the GOAT Allen so theres likely going to be a part 2 to this. the only thing i wish it did better was network with other students, especially since these were my fellow CUNY students. i dont think i really talked with anyone outside my friend circle at the event, and i really should have, even if it was a stupid 2 minute conversation about nothing
shoutout to my teammates Sudiptto, Eric, and Ayen for helping team TrainData secure the W. also shoutout to the MTA and MHC for making the whole event possible