Save the date for the third annual Brandeis Datathon Competition! The competition challenges students to use their data analytics skills to solve a real world problem. On March 13 students can learn about the dataset and ask questions. First prize wins $1000 and second $500!

All Brandeis students can participate in the competition (teams must be 2-3 students), with final presentations taking place on Friday, March 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Lemburg 180. All members of the Brandeis community are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Brandeis is rich with religious diversity. Holidays celebrated by the Brandeis community during the month of March include:

• Purim (evening of March 2 - evening of March 3) commemorates the survival of the Jews of Persia in the 5th Century BCE following a plot that would have annihilated the population. Jews celebrate Purim by reading from the Book of Esther, giving tzedakah or charity, exchanging gifts, and attending festive meals.
• Holi (March 4) the Festival of Colors, is a major Hindu festival celebrating the onset of spring, good harvests and the fertility of the land. It is marked on the day after the full moon in March, and is known best for the celebrations involving throwing brightly colored powder and water over each other to celebrate. People often distribute sweets to family and friends, and light bonfires the night before.
• Eid al-Fitr (March 20) is one of two major holidays celebrated by Muslims around the world and commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It is celebrated by a large community-wide prayer service in the morning followed by meals and conversation with friends and family. Eid al-Fitr is the Arabic name for the holiday, though it goes by many other names in other languages, differing from culture to culture.

For more information on these and other holidays, visit the Center for Spiritual Life's Guide to Religious Observances. Did we miss a spiritual observance that is important to you? Please reach out to slife@brandeis.edu.