FITCHBURG, WISCONSIN (WHCU) – Ithaca is mourning the loss of a community pillar.

Ilma Levine, a co-founder of the Sciencenter, passed away on Monday in Wisconsin on her 95th birthday. The Cornell grad started the hands-on learning center in 1983 with a friend, moving around the city before opening the dedicated space on 1st Street in 1993.

Levine lived most of her life in Brooktondale before moving to Wisconsin in 2023. The Sciencenter pledged “to continue to honor Ilma’s memory by carrying on her work and her vision of making science accessible to all and inspiring future generations to explore the wonders of the world around them.”

According to Levine’s obituary, The Sciencenter will host a celebration of life at a later date.