A documentary about a Cleveland arts institution, a commercial centered around pancakes, a student learning how to shape an entire scene through lighting, these were some of the projects CSU students showcased Sept. 17 at Cleveland State University’s 2026 Undergraduate Research Poster Session.

From noon to 3 p.m., students gathered in the Student Center Atrium to present research and internship projects developed throughout the year. Posters lined the room, organized by colleges, including the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health, Levin College of Public Affairs and Education, Monte Ahuja College of Business and Washkewicz College of Engineering.
 

Image

The event gave students an opportunity to showcase work that extended beyond traditional classroom assignments, professional and community settings. 

For Film and Media Arts student Bella Danielle DePasquale, that work meant helping document the history and community of the Rainey Institute, a Cleveland arts education organization approaching its 125th anniversary.

DePasquale presented “Documenting the Rainey Institute: History, Community, and Arts Education in Cleveland," a project focused on a short documentary produced through a collaboration between Cleveland State and the Rainey Institute.
 

Image

Originally founded as a settlement house serving immigrant families, the Rainey Institute has evolved into a community arts organization that provides music, dance and performance education to young people across Cleveland.

DePasquale became involved after the head of the film school invited fellow student Gabriel Cummings to work on the project.

“As the editor, my role was to bring the project’s many elements together, including interviews, B-roll, photographs, event footage, and music and shape them into a clear and engaging story,” DePasquale highlighted from her poster. “I was in charge of editing the teaser trailer together for this documentary.”

The role required extensive organization and careful selection of footage to accurately represent the Institute and its relationship with the community.

During production, the students combined interviews with observational filming to capture both personal stories and the institute’s everyday activities.

One of the activities they documented was “Tea Time,” a daily tradition that brings students together to share music, stories and experiences.

By documenting these informal moments, the filmmakers were able to highlight the genuine connections formed within the Institute and provide a glimpse into its culture beyond formal interviews.

“We did interviews as part of our research,” DePasquale said. “It was about our approach to the project before production and post-production.”

The research process extended beyond filming. DePasquale and Cummings searched for news coverage, videos and photographs related to the institute and contacted libraries in search of historical materials.

“The process of collecting the necessary resources turned out to be more involved than we expected,” DePasquale said. “We emailed libraries asking if they had any relevant information on this material.”

The project also introduced DePasquale to the challenges of collaborating remotely.

Much of the post-production work required exchanging footage and communicating with her mentor and fellow CSU student from a distance.

“Working from different locations showed me how creativity and teamwork can still come together without being in the same space,” DePasquale said.

Across the atrium, film and media arts student Jack Gollon was showcasing a project that explored a different side of visual storytelling.

Gollon presented “From Script to Screen — Visual Research in the Cinematic Arts,” a project based on an internship with his cinematography professor, Nick Moor.

Funded through a Cleveland State grant, the internship allowed Gollon and fellow students Kylie Cavasinni and Alyssa Randles to assist in creating treatments for Moor’s professional portfolio. 

As part of the project, the students worked on several productions, including commercial-style shoots for tabletop reels featuring breakfast foods.
 

Image

“We did coffee, eggs, cracking eggs and a griddle for bacon sizzle,” Gollon said. “The pancakes were really fun.” 

The project required each student to specialize in a different area of production.

Cavasinni focused on production design, transforming spaces into settings such as commercial and domestic kitchens. Randles worked with the camera, building rigs and helping with focus. Gollon worked in grip and electric, or G&E, which involves setting up and operating lighting equipment.

“Anytime a light is set up for a shot, I’m the person setting it up,” Gollon said. “I set up the stand, and then I turn on the lights as well.”

The job required more than simply flipping light switches. 

Some of the food advertisements were filmed at high frame rates, requiring significant amounts of light. Gollon said the crew sometimes used five lights for a single shot.

He also experimented with book lights, which reflect light off white surfaces to create a softer glow.

“Gaffing is like painting with light,” Gollon said, explaining his job as the head lighting technician. 

The lighting challenges became particularly important when filming in slow motion.

“For slow motion, you have to let a lot of light in because the camera catches things at a slower rate,” Gollon explained. 

The students adjusted their lighting setups to accommodate high frame rates, including filming at 60, 120 and 240 frames per second. 

The experience allowed each student to focus on a specialized area while continuing to work as part of a larger production team.

That collaboration often required creative problem-solving. 

During one pancake shoot, the students needed a camera angle that would capture the food from a unique perspective.

“One day, Nick said, ‘I have to pick up my son from daycare. Put a spatula on the camera. I’ll be right back,’” Gollon said.

The students rigged a spatula to the camera using zip ties, allowing them to capture the pancake action from the camera’s perspective.

“We were able to flip pancakes from the camera,” Gollon said. 

Other productions presented different challenges.

For a project filmed inside Mather Mansion, Gollon had to control the light coming through the windows so the scene would remain consistent throughout the day. On another project, the students transformed a film school computer lab into a pediatric emergency room.

The work required students to solve production problems while working within the limitations of their locations, equipment and budgets.

For Gollon, learning to work with different lighting equipment became one of the most valuable parts of the experience. 

His group originally used LED lights, but after one broke, they switched to traditional hot lights.

Although hot lights can be difficult and dangerous to work with, Gollon said they can create a distinctive look on camera.

“Anytime you’re sweating or dying on set and you’re using hot lights, just know that in frame, it is paying off,” Gollon said.

For some students, research means documenting a community’s history, conducting interviews and preserving personal stories. For others, it means experimenting with cameras, lighting and production techniques.

The poster session brought those different disciplines into one space, giving students an opportunity to explain both what they created and the process behind it.

DePasquale’s project gave her experience with documentary production, research and post-production while connecting her to a Cleveland organization with more than a century of history.

Gollon’s internship provided hands-on experience with cinematography, lighting and collaboration while allowing him to work on professional-style productions.

Together, the projects showed how undergraduate research can extend beyond traditional laboratory work or written papers.

The poster session brought those different disciplines into one space, giving students an opportunity not only to present their work but also to see what their peers were researching across the university.