November 10, 2023 · 3 min read

Galaxy quest

Photo of the Week

by University Communication and Marketing

Katie Black wears a space suit costume while holding a potted corn plant

Craig Chandler | University Communication and Marketing

Katie Black, senior manager of social media with University Communication and Marketing, holds a corn plant while donning the facsimile of a space suit — and braving 90-degree heat — for a recent photo shoot. The shoot was coordinated by Craig Chandler, UComm’s director of photography, as part of a story on Nebraska U’s efforts to lead the way in space agriculture.

As Chandler noted, the photo demanded contributions from a cadre of staff, faculty and students. Weeks before Black stepped into the suit, Chandler pitched the idea to (and got buy-in from) Yufeng Ge and Santosh Pitla, both faculty in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. The Department of Agronomy and Horticulture’s James Schnable provided the corn seed, which Chandler said was “impossible to find in the stores this late in the year.” Pots, trays and soil came courtesy of Samantha Link, who oversees the Beadle Center’s greenhouses. And graduate student Amlan Balabantaray maneuvered the Flex-Ro, an autonomous planter backgrounding Black, around the Splinter Lab on East Campus.

“I am incredibly fortunate to have the trust of everyone on campus,” Chandler said, “when I try to create some of the photo ideas that look great in my head.”

Craig Chandler | University Communication and Marketing

Black, with visor down, in the version of the photo that accompanied the story.

Social media photos of the week

Jordyn Oliver, junior in psychology, captured the spectacle of clouds blanketing downtown Lincoln from the vantage point of Love Library. Learn more at https://go.unl.edu/h3dv.
The Department of Biochemistry and Center for Plant Science Innovation recently congregated at the Beadle Center for a morning of camaraderie, coffee and contemplation. Learn more at https://go.unl.edu/bawd.
The Center for Great Plains Studies shared a scene from “Restoring Indigenous Food Sovereignty.” In addition to a discussion, the Nov. 7 event included the screening of excerpts from films that explore the transfer of bison to Indigenous communities and Pawnee efforts to reclaim ownership of their food production. Learn more at https://go.unl.edu/wfrm.
Husker students from the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction recently visited Concrete Industries Inc. as part of CIVE 850, a graduate course on prestressed concrete. Learn more at https://go.unl.edu/o3xt.
The College of Journalism and Mass Communications hosted a media day for Lincoln-area basketball programs that doubled as professional development for CoJMC students. Learn more at https://go.unl.edu/69w3.