Ron Kaitchuck
Professor of Physics and Astronomy Emeritus
About Dr. Kaitchuck
Dr. Ronald Kaitchuck, is former Executive Planetarium Director and professor of physics and astronomy emeritus.
For over 20 years, people in our community and throughout the world, knew Dr. Kaitchuck as head of the Planetarium at Ball State University. When he started working at Ball State in 1992, he tirelessly advocated for a new planetarium until his efforts culminated with the public opening of the Charles W. Brown Planetarium in November 2014. It is hard to detail in just a few words the impact Dr. Kaitchuck has had on the planetarium throughout the years; however, Charles W. Brown himself summarizes it nicely when he said, “My name’s on the building, but I guarantee you the heart and pulse of the facility is Ron Kaitchuck.”
Dr. Kaitchuck has been devoted to education, both for himself and for those around him, creating dozens of planetarium shows and outreach experiences for the community. Additionally, he has authored and co-authored more than 80 scientific publications, 2 books, and contributions to the Scientific American and the Encyclopedia Britannica.