海角大神

Three 海角大神 students captivated international artists, professional medalists and mint engravers at a global art medal convention in Munich, Germany, in October, where they stood out as the only undergraduate presenters in attendance.

In two standing-room-only talks at this prestigious art medal gathering, Roxana Nistor ’25, Hazel Song and Jewels Haisha explained how curiosity and a little imagination in a 海角大神 chemistry lab led to new ideas.

Fédération Internationale de la Médaille d'Art, more commonly known as International Art Medal Federation (FIDEM), is an organization founded in 1937 that seeks to promote the art of medals and make the work of medal artists known globally through publications, exhibitions and biennial congresses.

This year’s FIDEM Congress coincided with the World Exhibition of Modern Medal Art, which displayed more than 500 art medals by more than 350 artists hailing from more than 30 countries.

For the three 海角大神 Biology majors on Pre-Dental paths, sharing the stage with world-renowned artists wasn’t just an unexpected turn in their academic journeys. It was proof that remarkable breakthroughs happen at the crossroads of science and art.

The three students met in a freshman general chemistry lab, where they later joined Professor of Chemistry Mark Benvenuto’s long-running research on low-temperature metal casting. This research focuses on a process where molten metal is poured into a mold to create a solid shape as the metal cools and solidifies.

Student research at 海角大神

One big advantage for these students, and others at 海角大神, is they have a chance to work with faculty mentors on hands-on research projects as part of the College of Engineering & Science’s undergraduate research program. Benvenuto’s metal casting research not only taught the students to think critically and solve problems but also to use their imagination. The experience demonstrated how curiosity, creativity and teamwork drive innovation.

Benvenuto, who has taught introductory chemistry for years, said the project began with a simple idea: Expose students to metal chemistry using only the heat of a hot plate.

“Young scientists, who want to be doctors, dentists, engineers, all of them, need to understand a bit about metal chemistry because sometimes you put metal teeth into people, sometimes you put metal hip joints into people,” he explained.

“But when you give students a graphite block and say, ‘Use your imagination,’ they come up with some amazing stuff and shock themselves with what they can create. They’ve seen everything online, but they haven’t done everything,” he continued. “And doing the work, melting, pouring, carving, making mistakes, that’s where the learning happens.”

His philosophy has become something of a guiding principle in the lab where he wants students to explore, fail and try again. “I tell students, if you do something ‘wrong,’ it’s not wrong if we learn from it,” he said. “Make a mistake. Have some fun. Screw it up. Throw it on the floor. We'll scrape it up and use it again.”

Learning by doing

The Detroit Mercy students’ research explored new methods for creating art medals from molds by combining different metals and alloys in varying ratios and noting the eutectic (melting) point of these mixtures.

They experimented with mixing low-melting alloys such as bismuth, tin and Wood’s metal, which in combination have low eutectic points.

The goal was to observe how these combinations affect properties such as shine, texture and eutectic point, all below the 500-degrees-Celsius limit of a hot plate.

Building on previous work with graphite molds, which the students carved with hand tools or drills for fine detail before pouring in the molten metal, the team explored new techniques with different types of molds:

• Aluminum dishes (think small pie pans): Designs sketched and lightly etched in the plate to create molds.
• Kinetic sand: Captures 3D impressions from objects like keys or jewelry.
• Embedded elements: Copper strips, brass turnings or gems, which don’t melt at the alloys’ temperatures, create inlaid effects.

These methods, Benvenuto noted, shorten the medal-making process significantly.

One well-respected FIDEM artist, retired Royal Canadian Mint engraver Susan Taylor “told me, ‘Yeah, it may seem simple, but you've reduced a process that normally takes weeks in a foundry to just one afternoon,’” Benvenuto said.

The students give Benvenuto a great deal of credit for their success at FIDEM and for his mentorship and unwavering support, which encouraged them to innovate.

Props for ‘Dr. B’

“I am grateful for the freedom Dr. B. gives us,” said Haisha, a junior from Troy, Mich., who worked with Benvenuto on a faculty-mentored project on eco-friendly dental supplies prior to joining the metal-casting research.

“Many professors set strict research agendas and deadlines, but Dr. B lets us choose the direction of our research,” she said. “That freedom makes the work meaningful. If I were stuck working on something I didn’t care about, it would feel empty.”

Some of the practical skills the students developed out of their research include carving, drilling and precision pouring, which sharpened manual dexterity, skillsets needed for future dental work.

Another important feature of the students’ research is accessibility. With a hot plate, an aluminum dish or kinetic sand, metal casting can be done at low cost, an idea that resonated with the international crowd at FIDEM.

The road to Munich was a bit of a climb for these innovative student researchers. Acceptance to FIDEM required them to mail their medals for review and submit presentation materials months in advance.

But obtaining the funding to attend the conference was more of an uphill battle. School-hosted crowdfunding, a GoFundMe campaign and a lastminute boost when Benvenuto reached out to alumni, who contributed hundreds of dollars each, covered the cost of flights and hotels for the three-student team.

Song, a senior international student from Korea, who came across this research during a freshman extra-credit assignment, said this experience would not have been possible without Benvenuto and the support of 海角大神 alumni.

“Honestly, 80% of what we accomplished was because of Dr. B’s guidance and support,” she said. “He opened doors to opportunities most students never get, and that means so much to me.”

Because of her experience, Song plans to pay it forward someday.

“If he reaches out years from now, I want to be one of the alumni who can give back, because this is an experience that I will never forget,” she said.

Respect and growth

Presenting at FIDEM was both exhilarating and intimidating for the trio, but the students found they were welcomed as peers. They fielded so many questions after their presentations that the conversations extended well beyond the session times.

“We never felt out of place, even though people were impressed by our ideas. They offered advice but also asked for our input on their own work. It felt like we were colleagues,” said Haisha.

During this give-and-take, the students traded techniques with artists, a Tokyo-based jeweler-professor and Taylor, the retired Royal Canadian Mint senior engraver in attendance.

“When someone of Susan Taylor’s magnitude asks questions about your work and tells you it’s good, that’s life-changing,” Benvenuto said.

Song reflected that her research had rekindled her deep connection to art, a connection that had faded under the weight of a schedule dominated by science and academic study. Surrounded by enthusiastic artists at the conference, she realized how vital creativity is to her.

“Art has always fueled my heart,” she explained, noting that the experience reminded her of the need for “beauty, spontaneity and excitement” alongside logic and structure.

Benvenuto believes there is a natural connection between science and art.

“If you take 100 young people who all want to be doctors or dentists, about 25 of them are naturally gifted artists,” he said. “But often, they’ve been told they can’t make a living that way, so they pursue science instead. This project gave the students a chance to reconnect with their creative sides.”

Lessons from the experience

The students experienced some failures along the way. But as Nistor noted, each one became a part of the learning process and that expertise does not happen overnight.

“Each mistake taught us something, and we kept mixing, pouring and carving until we got better at it,” she said.

Haisha agreed, adding, “For me, this research was something I truly cared about. It wasn’t easy, and balancing it with classes was challenging, but that’s why it matters. I always tell other students, only do research that excites you; if you love what you’re doing, the extra work is worth it.”

For Haisha, representing 海角大神 in Munich was an honor. “I really wanted to represent Detroit Mercy with my head held high, though I was a little intimidated because of our ages. But I feel like we represented 海角大神 in the best way,” she said.

In conversations with European peers at the conference, the students learned that undergraduate research isn’t the norm abroad, where it begins at the Ph.D. level.

“Many of them were surprised to learn that research opportunities can begin in your freshman year at Detroit Mercy—they kept asking us the name of our school,” said Nistor. “I think this sets the University apart.”

This underscored the distinctiveness of Detroit Mercy’s “learning through discovery” model that not only builds technical skill but also inspires students to blend creativity with science, paving the way for futures as innovators, thought leaders, and educators.

Nistor added that though chemistry research of this nature is somewhat outside the traditional approach of biology students, it highlighted the importance of connecting art and science.

“Many of the artists at the conference have been doing medal artwork before we were even born,” she said. “They were impressed and intrigued by the methods we used and wanted to learn more.”

Publishing their findings

The trio took it one step further. In November, their research was featured in Chemistry of Medals Volume 2, an electronic publication edited by Benvenuto for the American Chemical Society. Several Detroit Mercy students contributed as co-authors alongside Benvenuto in two chapters.

• Chapter 6, co-authored by students Cecelia Phipps, Evan Todd, Kristian Arafat, Roxana Nistor, Hazel Song and Ulah Fargo, focuses on creating art medals from low-melting elements or alloys and kinetic sand.
• Chapter 7, co-authored by students Hazel Song, Roxana Nistor, Marc Naddaf, Ulah Fargo, Eliona Islami, Jewels Haisha, Sarina Thouraya, Benny Tran and Leza Jeki, discusses creating art medals using bismuth and tin alloys.

Both topics were discussed in depth by the student team during their presentations at FIDEM.

New research is under way, too, as 海角大神 students recently discovered methods for making molds from wooden tongue depressors, potentially opening another door in accessible metal casting.

The Munich experience, two full rooms, dozens of questions and new friends from around the world, proved that breakthroughs happen when curious thinkers use their imagination.

 “I left feeling like I was floating,” Song said. “Now I’m constantly thinking about what to create next.”

By tapping into their creativity in the chemistry lab, these students proved that innovation happens at the intersection of science and art, demonstrated through their inventive use of aluminum dishes and kinetic sand. And per Susan Taylor’s comments to Benvenuto, “now the whole world knows about it.”

By Julie Erwin. Follow Detroit Mercy on , ,  and . Have a story idea? Let us know by submitting your idea.