- July 26, 2024
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Lowell Lohman greets Spruce Creek Elementary students on their field trip. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Nicole Messervy, youth and family programs manager at MOAS; John Herman, adult programs manager at MOAS; Ormond Beach City Commissioner Susan Persis; Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis; Lowell Lohman; Nancy Lohman; MOAS CEO Tabitha Schmidt; Seth Mayo, curator of science at MOAS; and Christian Traverson, planetarium manager and assistant curator of science. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis and Lowell Lohman. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis greets Spruce Creek Elementary students. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis, Lowell Lohman and Spruce Creek Elementary students. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Lowell Lohman greets Spruce Creek Elementary students at MOAS. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis greet students. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Ormond Beach City Commissioner Susan Persis takes a photo of students with Lowell Lohman. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Lowell and Nancy Lohman. Photo courtesy of Claire Mitchell/MOAS
Ormond Beach philanthropist and businessman Lowell Lohman and Volusia County School Board member Carl Persis were astronauts for a day at the Museum of Arts and Sciences on Tuesday, May 21.
Lohman and Persis greeted first graders from Spruce Creek Elementary, who were on a field trip, while wearing the museum's new hi-fidelity replica astronaut spacesuits. The spacesuits, according to a press release, are part of the museum's upcoming Planetarium 2.0 exhibit, the grand reveal of a transformation of the Lohman Planetarium.
Modeled after real designs from NASA, one spacesuit represents a Space Shuttle era EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit), and the other represents a conceptual suit known as the xEMU (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit) — a similar version will be worn during NASA’s Artemis program that will bring astronauts back to the moon.
When not in use, the spacesuits will be on display in the planetarium lobby for photo ops.
Lowell and Nancy Lohman's support has allowed for upgrades to the planetarium, including a lobby overhaul, a new projection and cove light system, a video wall display, telescopes for monthly "Night Sky Festivals," and a portable planetarium for the museum's outreach programs.
Planetarium 2.0 will launch on June 29 and run through Sept. 1.
“Thanks to the annual donation from Nancy and Lowell Lohman, thousands of students are able to explore an exceptional museum and learn about the wonders of the galaxy in the first-class Lohman Planetarium," Persis said in the press release. "These are the kind of educational experiences that often trigger life-long interest and careers in science.”
Spruce Creek Elementary was one of 59 schools that will visit the planetarium this year. Every fifth and eighth grade class in Volusia County takes part in the Lohman Field Study program each year, and the Lohmans have committed to funding this student experience for a minimum of six years
Each year, between 6,000 and 10,000 Volusia County Schools students take part in the free program, which originated from an idea by Persis, who brought the concept to the Lohmans four years ago. To date, 30,000 students have visited MOAS and the Lohman Planetarium.
The Lohmans hope to inspire students through their visits to the museum and the planetarium to pursue STEAM — science, techology, engineering, art and mathematics — and instill a lifelong love of learning, the press release states.
