September 10, 2025
Contact: Janese Heavin, heavinj@missouri.edu
Photos by Abbie Lankitus, Gretta Cohoon, Sam Cox, Reagan Manis and Nicholas Andrusisian
Students brought life and color back to the University of Missouri campus in August. University photographer Abbie Lankitus shares her favorite photos of the month.
I teased this photo last month because I had just come back from this shoot as I was writing the July photos of the month gallery. I couldn’t wait to share it! I pitched the idea of this photo as we were discussing this story back in the late spring. There are more and more stories about drones, but it's difficult to find ways to create visuals for them. That’s why I suggested waiting until the corn was high so I could lie on the ground and photograph the drone above me. That’s exactly how it played out, and the photos came out better than I could’ve imagined. It helped that the day was gorgeous with a rich blue sky with puffy white clouds and vibrant green corn stalks.
If you don’t know Heather Hennkens and Carolyn Anderson, you should. Their work with radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals at Mizzou is second-to-none. These two rockstar researchers work together at the Molecular Imaging and Theranostics Center (MITC) and University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) to create life-saving cancer treatments.
This portrait was taken for the fall issue of MIZZOU Magazine to show the path of the isotope — the key to those cancer treatments — as it makes its way from MURR to patients around the country and beyond. I was given a board game theme to help illustrate the path. That’s why I used the lights in the primary colors of a board game.
Student Affairs photographer Gretta Cohoon joined me, and together we worked and reworked the light until all four colors stood out. This was a new kind of shoot for me (five strobe lights total) and I’m happy with how vibrant it came out – matching the vibrant work these two do.
If you haven’t been in the Bond Life Sciences Center or haven’t paid much attention to the sculpture that spans all five floors, I encourage you to take a closer look. The Joy of Discovery houses discs that display the blending of art and science in labs across campus.
When the piece was installed at the opening of the Bond Life Sciences Center 20 years ago, images were already in place. Now, the sculpture has been refreshed with new images from our own researchers. You can see the full gallery of images on Show Me Mizzou, which includes also includes photos from my colleagues Nic Benner and Nick Andrusisian. What I love about this photo is what the light does to the sculpture. The morning I took this photo, the sky was clear and the sun was just beginning to crest into the many windows that line the ceiling. As it did, it lit up the pieces of the DNA sculpture and created beautiful silhouettes from below. It’s really one of the most beautiful sculptures on campus. If you get a chance, take some time to sit at one of the many desks that circle the sculpture and watch the light play on it. Perhaps it will inspire joy in your discoveries!
Also in the fall issue of MIZZOU Magazine is a story about the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement & Innovation Lab (MAPIL) in the College of Engineering. Researchers Bill Buttlar and Punyaslok Rath use ground tire rubber and waste plastics that would end up in landfills to create a more sustainable asphalt material for our roads. It’s already in action in Columbia, Missouri, on a section of Stadium Boulevard between Old Highway 63 and Highway 63.
The story headline, “The Alchemy Beneath Our Wheels,” called for an equally creative image.
Thanks to the guidance and inspiration of Missouri S&T photographer Michael Pierce, I used two sawhorses, an acrylic sheet, a roll of iridescent cellophane gift wrap, several small flashlights and a spray bottle. What came together was this galaxy-looking display of the raw materials Buttlar and Rath use in their lab. I was in the studio until late that night, probably looking like a mad scientist myself, until I felt like I got the right combination of color, light, detail and even smoke from dry ice (thanks to my husband for the assist).
Let me enlighten those of you who are not fans of the Kansas City Chiefs: Dan Meers was the mascot of the Chiefs, KC Wolf, for the past 35 years. Newly retired, he let some of us from the News and Information Team into his home. As a student at Mizzou, Meers served as Truman the Tiger, which eventually led him to a full-time career as a beloved mascot of the Chiefs.
The Mizzou team that visited his home came back to campus telling of Meers’ joy, boundless energy and love for life. Nick Andrusisian clearly captured that in this portrait. Meers radiates joy in this photo. What also makes this image stand out is the highlight of red on the Kansas City Chiefs logo behind him. The focus is on Meers, but you also know who he’s with. The vibrant red makes the image stand out, but the vibrant smile from Meers makes this image shine.
In August, Columbia Public Works began repaving roads throughout downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods as part of long-term maintenance. One of those roads was 8th Street, which leads into Circle Drive. Because of that, the letters M I Z Z O U from Circle Drive to the Boone County Courthouse needed to be repainted.
Many thanks to the city for letting us know when they would be repainting the letters. It let us get visuals of the fresh letters, including this cool video by video producer Mike Boles. The gold diamond has not been quite as vibrant as that morning when it was fresh, but I’m glad we could capture this image for future use.
Speaking of color this month, gold shirts = move-in time!
I love this picture from Move-in Day because the swarm of gold is matched with smiling faces to quickly help freshman get settled into their new homes. At the end of every summer, Move-In Day begins a feeling of change across campus as it becomes truly alive with students.
If you’ve seen a photo of a student in a residence hall, it was almost always taken during move-in. Move-in is the only time of the year that we have free access to the halls to get photos, and we take advantage of the time to get marketing imagery too.
To everyone who I had pose with a laptop or laugh with their roommate, thank you. You help me and our communicators tell better stories about student life.
I’m very thankful to this student who posed so effortlessly in her already well-decorated dorm room. The color, lighting and moment all play an equally important role in this image that helps future students see themselves at Mizzou.
One of the best traditions of Welcome Week is First Roar. It was unique this year because of the construction happening at Memorial Stadium, which caused the relocation of the event to Mizzou Arena. Here, the vibrancy is not just in the gold shirts, but in the expressions of students getting pumped to cheer on the Tigers in their many athletic endeavors.
I got my drone piloting license within my first year working at Mizzou, but it’s taken some warming up to using it. This year was my fourth Welcome Week, and I was ready for some new views of the events. While our student photographers handled much of the imagery from the ground, I took to the skies.
This photo in particular was a favorite of mine because of the way the light in the center of the students scattered the shadows, and it’s also got that perfect Mizzou gold to light up the crowd. It’s going to be hard to not shoot drone photos for every Welcome Week to come!
Midnight BBQ is one of the key events during Welcome Week. The event is late at night and includes games, food (BBQ of course), and music. Gretta captured this really colorful photo that evening, and I love the fact that you can only get this kind of image at night. The event lends itself to unique lighting situations with a burst of color — indicative of the vibrant night celebrating students’ initiation into Mizzou life and culture.
Another tradition that was a little different this year was painting the Rock M because the M has been temporarily relocated due to construction on Memorial Stadium. That didn’t stop the joy of slathering the stones.
Again, the color of this image just strikes me. The sky is perfectly blue, the grass and tree green — it makes the white rocks really pop. Plus, the composition of this image is really nice. Our focused student is framed in-between two others, smiling — perfectly encapsulating what incoming freshmen can expect from this event: fun.
For those entering Greek Life, Bid Day can feel like the pinnacle of anticipation for all that is to come in their time at Mizzou. Here, Gretta captured two sorority members running back to their sisters after sitting with potential new members. I can’t say I know much about Bid Day, but I know joy when I see it -- this time in the form of hand holding, running and ear-to-ear grins.
Typically held on Faurot Field, this year’s back-to-school film screening was on Francis Quadrangle, and boy did the images deliver. Student photographer Sam Cox framed the movie from the Columns with students enjoying the experience. The way the golden light highlights them, to the deep blue of the sky, everything is colorful — even in a dark setting.
This may not have been Flick on Faurot, but Flick on Francis was just as memorable.
I really couldn’t get enough of the drone this week. I had to see what it looked like as freshman ran through our beloved Columns marking their entrance into Mizzou for the next four years.
My favorite little detail is seeing the shadows of the students who are on the other side of the Columns running through. Plus, everything is so colorful! The grass is green and mowed into zig-zag shapes. The students are wearing vibrant colored shirts and its peak golden hour on the quad. What more could I ask for?
In a month where I’ve highlighted joy, vibrancy on campus and color, I absolutely had to end the gallery with this image from Sam. I think it just encapsulates the whole month as we enter into a new semester. I can’t get enough of the expressions of the students running, the newly designed banners flowing and the way the sun highlights each person in a golden outline.
I hope your fall is as colorful, vibrant and joyful as these photos have been to me. Welcome back, Tigers!
