SU Showcase, which focuses on sustainability this year, will begin with the celebration of the university’s first rain garden. During the day, fellows will present their works on the Quad, in Hendricks Chapel or scattered throughout campus. About 30 students from Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry have been chosen to present their works, said Steve Parks, director of SU Showcase.

There will be three consecutive 15-minute presentations every hour on the Quad, Parks said. The fellows will then hold a 15-minute Q&A session with the audience after the presentations, he said. Students had to submit their presentations before being chosen as fellows.

Some presentations include research about local waterways, a discussion of students’ waste and recycling habits in the dining halls, an activity about judging the price and nutrition of groceries, and a debate about the nation’s moral responsibility to share emergent green technology.

Most of the plays and performances, such as a collaborative presentation among SU service workers, students and faculty that reflects on the lives of the university service workers, will be held in Hendricks Chapel.

Jon Barnhart, president of Student Association, said the newly implemented fellows program places more emphasis on the academic quality of students’ works.

“I’m hoping that the fellows program will show that this event is really being remodeled and rededicated toward the academic interests of students,” he said.

The organizers tried to focus on a diversity of the types of research, Parks said.

Students who have not yet chosen a major get a chance to see a variety of approaches to the topic of sustainability, from communications, science and other majors, he said.

For seniors who will be graduating next month, there will be two career sessions about getting a job in the green economy, during which they can meet with local business representatives, Parks said.

Barnhart, who helped set up the career sessions with members of SA, said the sessions will give students who are not fellows a chance to see how they can get into the green job market, such as through internships or job offers.

SU Showcase will also attract students who have an interest in globalism and environmentalism and want to see the projects their colleagues have been working on over the past few months, Parks said. But he also said he realizes not every student is happy with the theme.

“While we appeal to a broad set of students, I understand not every student will be interested in sustainability,” he said.

Parks also said he believes the controversy surrounding MayFest and SU Showcase will not affect student turnout because students have accepted that the two events are different. MayFest is a social event, but SU Showcase highlights academic work, he said.

“Students are smart enough to say this is one event and MayFest is another one,” he said.

Because SU Showcase has become more specialized, Barnhart said he is expecting a lower turnout this year than in previous years. He also said it is unfortunate that there will be students who will not attend the presentations because they have class.

Andrea LaMothe, a senior television, radio and film and policy studies major, said she would not attend SU Showcase because it interferes with her classes and because she has too much work. She also said she thought students would be more likely to attend if classes had been cancelled.

“With it being the last few weeks of the semester, I know that other commitments, like studying and finishing projects, are more important right now,” LaMothe said.

But Parks said scheduling conflicts should not be a problem for most students, and he hopes 20 to 25 people show up for each presentation.

“The day is long enough and there are enough sessions that most students who want to attend (SU) Showcase will be able to attend one or two events,” he said.

Students will be surprised by how powerful the presentations are, Parks said.

“I’ve had a chance to see the research and talk to the students, and it’s been really gratifying to see the students who are going to present,” he said. “I have no question that the students who are going to present will be really interesting and represent quality work.”