Mitchell grew up watching Star Trek and Star Wars, and chose a physics major – with a concentration in astronomy – in college. In need of a part-time job, he began working at the Jordan Planetarium at the University of Maine.

“I had been working at the planetarium for about two years, when the director of 35 years decided to retire,” said Mitchell. “They couldn’t find an immediate replacement, so they said, ‘Guess what, Scott? You’re now in charge of the five-million-dollar planetarium.’ It was terrifying, but I definitely learned a lot. After ten months, they eventually hired a new full-time director.”

Mitchell’s experience – of learning through having leadership thrust upon him – paved the way for him to hit the ground running here at OCC.

“I’m most excited to get back to doing planetarium shows, again,” said Mitchell. “That is the part of the job I enjoy the most. Presenting to people, getting people excited about science and space. I love the look on people’s faces, when you first bring the lights down in the dome, and then the stars come alive on the screen.”

The 50-foot, dome theater is the pinnacle of any visit to the OCC Planetarium. Large, spacious, round and well equipped to visually highlight topics ranging from astronomy to physics to geography… and more.

“Our theater is really immersive,” said Mitchell. “We can fly you from the bottom of the ocean, all the way to the very edge of the galaxy – and even further up than that. It’s such a cool, visual experience. People often compare it to IMAX, but that’s not a fair comparison. IMAX screens only curve in one direction. I’ve got a screen curved in every direction. The effect really surrounds you completely in the environment. It’s something everyone should try at least once in their lives.”