Evansville Museum Announces Retirement of Science Director

The Evansville Museum’s Dorothy & George Eykamp Director of Science Experiences, Mitch Luman, will retire June 30, 2023. Luman has served as head of the Museum’s science department for 37 years, joining the institution in 1985 after directing the planetarium at the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Nebraska.

Luman was instrumental in planning, installing, and opening the Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium, a state-of-the-art 40-foot domed theater, which opened in 2014 as part of the Museum’s $14.1 million building addition. Evansville Museum Executive Director Mary Bower states, “Mitch Luman was key in bringing the best in planetarium technology to Evansville. His enthusiasm for education has introduced a generation of Tri-State youth to the wonders of the universe.”

During his tenure, Luman curated over 50 in-house science exhibitions, five of which toured the United States, including the first national exhibition on the topic of outdoor lighting and light pollution. He took the lead in administering two National Science Foundation outreach projects entitled Midwest Wild Weather and Outreach to Space.

Other initiatives led by Mitch Luman through the years include Science with a Twist, monthly informal gatherings to meet a featured scientist; family activities on annual Astronomy Day and Chemistry Day; a Drone Film Festival; and outreach exhibitions on space. Luman has developed collaborations with members of the Evansville Astronomical Society to present star and planet watches; worked with the Raintree Girl Scouts; and served as juror for regional science fairs. He has taught astronomy classes at Western Kentucky University and University of Evansville.

Chief Curator and Curator of History, Tom Lonnberg, comments, “Mitch Luman is the consummate professional. His decades devoted to the Evansville Museum have brought the highest level of creative and innovative exhibitions and programs to thousands of people.”