March 10, 2026
Contact: Janese Heavin, heavinj@missouri.edu
Photos by Abbie Lankitus, Gretta Cohoon and Kolden Lam
February at the University of Missouri came with innovative research, incredible performances and plenty of things to do on campus. University photographer Abbie Lankitus shares her favorite photos of the month.
Many of our Mizzou researchers are using artificial intelligence in new discoveries, including Curators’ Distinguished Professor Jianlin “Jack” Cheng, but showcasing their work can be challenging. I mean, how do you communicate AI in an image?
Cheng is using AI to predict protein structure models. Thankfully, he had an image of one. Initially, my idea was to reflect the protein model onto his glasses. It wasn’t until we were in a pitch-black conference room and I couldn’t get the image to show up on his glasses that I asked, “Are your glasses anti-reflective?” to which he replied, “Oh! Yes.”
Realizing my error (never forgetting to ask in the future!), we were only a building away from the studio and made our way over. A projector, two lights and several test shots later, we finally ended up with an image I was happy with.
Here’s to pivoting when original ideas go awry!
Mizzou’s Open Minds Initiative, in partnership with the Lloyd B. Thomas Lecture and Performance Series, welcomed Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of “The Perfect Storm,” to the Missouri Theatre last month. But this photo is of the Open Minds Initiative Director, Brian Kisida, during his Q&A with Junger.
If I could pick one photo from the event to communicate what that night was about, it’s this one. I feel like I could practically fill the entire photo with a thought bubble from Kisida. His distinct hand placement also plays into the moment of a man deep in thought. Stage photography always brings about interesting lighting. When exposed properly, you can make the background practically disappear. With that technique, I can highlight Kisida as my primary subject and tell the story I saw laid out before me: keeping an open mind.
Understanding art and graphic design elements helps photographers make better images. Like my galaxy photo in January, Gretta made this image in-camera with a double-exposure in-camera, and those design elements helped make it stand out.
Clearly, the action at an esports matchup is on the screen in front of the players, which can be hard to communicate through photos. It’s a still moment of an activity that emphasizes action. So, Gretta got creative.
First, she found a sign with the Mizzou Esports logo and set it as her primary frame. She then found one of the players locked into their match and positioned them in the rest of the frame. The way the colors, logos and action overlap creates a much better way to show what’s going on, a perfect blend of storytelling and artistic know-how.
There’s a story on Show Me Mizzou detailing how researchers are exploring using synthetic DNA for data storage..
To make this point come to life, I decided to pull together a variety of media and place it in the shape of a single strand DNA structure. A good portion of the media came from Assistant Director of Social Media Jen Manning’s grandfather’s house, and the rest came from mine.
Interspersed throughout the image are Easter eggs of my life. The photo album at the top left is my parents’ wedding album. The large open book on the lower right is my mother’s high school yearbook, in which she is pictured as Miss Caddo Mills High School. The photo album on the far left shows a trip my grandmother, grandfather, great-aunt and great-uncle took to Hawaii. My great uncle loved to take a million pictures, get them printed and then share them all with his family.
There are also hard drives from my first eight years as a photographer, books and DVDs from my own library, CDs I grew up with and slides my mother never had developed.
My mom passed away in 2012 when I was 16. Now I have two giant tubs filled with loose photos, photo albums, memorabilia, and knick-knacks. It was fun to go through some of it to pull it out for this project in what became a labor of love for this story.
Zou Jam, an intramural basketball tournament, was hosted at MizzouRec this month, and Gretta caught an insane move by a University of South Dakota player. He fakes out and crosses a University of Tennessee player who loses his balance trying to defend the ball handler. In the next frame, he does fall to the ground, but I love this photo best because you see the move the South Dakota player did to warrant such a reaction.
It’s not easy to trip up a defender like that and even harder to capture it in a way that tells exactly what happened. I can practically hear the “OOOHHHHHHH”s coming from the bench and stands after this move happened.
Hair can be such a beautiful statement about who one is and how they express themselves. I love how this workshop brought people together to either experience something new or offer new insights to those already familiar with braiding.
University photographer Gretta Cohoon did a great job framing the braids through one of the instructors and a student so that our eye immediately goes to the beautiful work they’re doing without eliminating them from the story.
The Chancellor’s Arts Showcase is one of my favorite events of the year. The full display of students from the College of Arts and Science sharing their work is always impressive and an event worth attending.
This image was taken during the performance of “Existential Vacuum” by Dean Wibe, a student and winner of the 2026 Sinquefield Composition Prize.The performers are on the stage, much higher than the audience floor. I took advantage of that angle and shot through performers rather than trying to get above them. I love the little window I found of this French horn player while still seeing the active hands of the oboe players.
These monthly photo blogs give a behind-the-scenes look into the eye of the photographer. Sometimes, I also like to include images that provide a little behind-the-scenes look into the running of the university. There’s always much more going on to put an event together like the Chancellor’s Arts Showcase, and I wanted to showcase that in this photo.
Here, the Mizzou Wind Ensemble is performing their second and last piece of the evening, “La Chancla (2024)” by Dennis Llinas, while Dean Cooper Drury, A&S staff member Kyla Dunn and two Missouri Theatre staff look on, ensuring everything runs smoothly.
This is a scene I often get to see at events: People working hard to make everything flow as it should, observing the action from an unseen distance.
At the beginning of the Chancellor’s Arts Showcase are all the student displays in the lobby of the Missouri Theatre and Columbia Art League gallery. Here, a student from architectural studies showcases their model to guests.
I love this photo from student photographer Kolden Lam. The depth of field is shallow, so the focus is solely on the center piece with everything else slightly or largely blurred. The low angle of the shot allows the arm of the student to lead your eye into the image. The cherry on top, however, is the glow from the light the student has placed inside their model. It illuminates their hand, the building model and the surrounding area. It makes this image go from interesting to captivating.
A marketing shoot in February for the College of Health Sciences involved public health doctoral student Raquel Young. The college wanted to show the collaboration between public health students and College of Veterinary Medicine to future students.
I liked this one so much because of its moodiness. This room is in the back of the lab and is meant to be kept dark for work with microscopes. With the lights turned off, Raquel is silhouetted, but the main light from the lab streams in and outlines her with flares coming in around her hair. I felt it told a more serious story of the work she and those in this lab are doing at the crossroads of public health and veterinary medicine.
A story coming to Show Me Mizzou will showcase faculty from across campus and what they collect. This will likely be the only image I share from that series because I want the rest to be a surprise!
Keith Greenwood, an associate professor with the Missouri School of Journalism, was my first subject to capture for the story and really set the tone for everyone else I’ve met since then.
Greenwood collects old and vintage cameras, many of which are lined up behind him on his bookshelf. This image, however, gave me personality, fun and an insight into how this camera was used, with Greenwood’s eye lined up with the viewfinder. I’m so excited for this series!
The Interfraternity Council raised money for Special Olympics this winter and ended the campaign with a Polar Plunge at Tiger Plaza. A polar plunge felt fitting to end a month that saw rapid changes in temperature from highs in the teens to the sixties.
This photo shows the last group of the Interfraternity Council’s Polar Plunge to jump in, and they went all out. Rather than using the ladder that many had used before, they hurdled themselves straight in, splashing anyone around them. I love the commitment of the students as they head into the pool, the moment right before the water surely sends a wave of pain across their skin.
Hopefully, we’ve seen the last of frigid temperatures and spring will begin to show itself. I, for one, am ready for brighter and warmer days and everything that brings with it across campus.
