20 graduate students in the JKU’s statistics program accepted the Linz AG challenge to predict their Linz customers’ electricity consumption. Click here to learn more about this challenge. Elias Zeintl placed second in the competition with an average deviation of 6.97 MWh.

What was the hardest part in coming up with a forecast of this kind?
Elias Zeintl: The heterogeneity between the different data sets, meaning that we couldn’t import automated data.

How long did it take to finalize the project?
Elias Zeintl: All in all, probably about a good week but we divided the work into several stages.

Why did you decide to study statistics at JKU?
Elias Zeintl: I have enjoyed working with numbers and when I found out in the 7th class (AHS) that you can major in statistics, I was hooked.

Would you recommend the degree program to others?
Elias Zeintl: If you love math and working on a PC (there’s a lot of programming), then definitely.

Elias Zeintl (23) lives in Graz. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess, volleyball, and cycling.