Digital CSU hosted its semiannual “Digital CSU Student Showcase” in the Student Center Atrium on Tuesday. The Michael Schwartz Library sponsored the event which gave students an opportunity to present digital projects to their peers as well as faculty and staff.

Ben Richards, a Digital CSU convener and librarian at the Michael Schwartz Library, explained the value of the showcase.

“I think sometimes it gives extra meaning to the work that students are doing in class when they get to show out,” Richards said. “You can see that students are really proud of the work that they’ve done… They’re pretty passionate about the topics that they’ve chosen.”

Digital CSU is an environment created by Cleveland State faculty members to promote creativity and teaching across the university’s various colleges and departments through digital methods.

Anyone who had a project that they wanted to share at the fall semester showcase was able to sign up via a Microsoft Office survey that could be found on the Michael Schwartz Library’s blog.

Students presented their topics using various forms of multimedia including videos, slideshows, infographics, and websites created specifically for their project.

Typical of Tuesday's work was “Fxxk Fast Fashion” by Leo Cahill Jr.,Tay Horne and Grace Weske, who created a slideshow presentation about how low quality synthetic clothes are bad for the environment.

Low quality synthetic clothing is "very big in our world," Cahill said. "It's one of the top three pollutants in our world.” 

“People don’t understand how much the impact of buying from Shein, Fashion Nova, AliExpress, and stuff like that is.”

In addition to the slideshow, the trio put together a scripted video of Cahill enjoying nature and learning about how fast fashion is slowly destroying it by contributing to issues like microplastic pollution.

Their presentation was just one of many projects showcased that involved pollution and environmental troubles.

The event got off to a slow start, but built up momentum through the scheduled three hours.

“Considering the weather, I’m very happy with the turnout,” Richards said.

If you're interested in attending or presenting at the next Digital CSU Student Showcase, visit the Michael Schwartz Library’s blog and subscribe to stay up to date with their latest posts.