Engineering student creates lighter weight replica of UofL presidential medallion

UofL President Kim Schatzel had one problem with her role in UofL's commencement ceremonies: the medallion necklace traditionally worn by the president is quite heavy.

To find a solution, the president's staff approached the J.B. Speed School of Engineering about 3D printing a less weighty reproduction of the necklace.

Luis Gustavo Rodriguez, a student ambassador for admissions and outreach with the STEM+Hub, took on the challenge, creating a visually nearly indistinguishable reproduction of the iconic piece. The 80-hour project involved multiple steps, from modeling to 3D printing, sanding, painting and assembling the necklace.

"I had to use different techniques and approaches to ensure that the project was successful," Rodriguez said. "All of it had its different challenges. Every part had different skills added into it."

The original metal medallion worn by UofL's president (left) and the lighter weight 3D printed replica (right). UofL photo by Ashly Cecil.

First, Rodriguez created 3D models of each piece of the necklace: the Minerva medallion, the plates for each of the 12 schools and colleges and the chain links. Using the 3D printers in the STEM+Hub, he printed each piece of the necklace in resin, layer by layer. He then sanded, painted and coated them in polyurethane for durability.

"The real trick was getting the artistic skills down in painting the pieces to recreate the medallion coloring," Rodriguez said. "I applied primer, leaf gold, shading and airbrush shadowing. It's been quite a while since I've used an airbrush."

The fleur-de-lis pieces posed particular modeling challenges due to their dimensional detail, so for these, Sophie Wegenast, an intern in the Additive Manufacturing Institute of Science and Technology (AMIST) added her expertise.

The assembled reproduction medallion necklace weighs 12 ounces, less than 40% of the two-pound original.

"I found the project to be a great learning experience that heightened my engineering skills. It was a fascinating experience that required a lot of patience and attention to detail," Rodriguez said.

UofL President Kim Schatzel tries on the 3D printed medallion necklace. UofL photo by Ashly Cecil.

The highlight for Rodriguez was seeing President Schatzel's smile when he presented the necklace to her.

"This is an amazing reproduction! I am truly grateful to Luis and the creative, innovative student engineers for their incredible work on this project," Schatzel said. "It will be worn for years to come."

Rodriguez received his bachelor's degree on May 11, with a major in bioengineering. Next, he plans to earn an MBA. After that, he hopes to attend medical school to become a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon.

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