Lana Koepke Johnson, whose 33-year career at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln blended science, art and communication, is retiring Sept. 12.
A reception in her honor will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 9 in Keim Hall, Room 150. Cake and refreshments will be served. Colleagues may sign the online guestbook.
Johnson, who has spent the last 10 years as a communications specialist in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, has served many roles at the university including illustrator, web designer, project manager, instructor and scientific illustrator. She pioneered some of the university’s first websites, trained faculty and staff in digital tools, and developed projects advancing design and usability.
“Her long-standing service is marked not only by the diversity of roles she’s held but by the consistently high level of quality, professionalism, and innovation she brings to each one,” Cheryl Dunn, lecturer and herbarium curator in agronomy and horticulture, said. “With her retirement, we are losing not only an exceptionally skilled and creative employee but also a truly generous and irreplaceable colleague.”
Johnson describes her career path as a long and winding adventure. She began college planning to attend medical school, but a required art class as a junior sparked a new passion. She quickly added more art courses before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in biology and natural sciences from Midland Lutheran College.
Still unsure of her direction, she spent a year in graduate biology at the University of Nebraska Omaha, taught biology and human anatomy, and briefly worked in medical research at Creighton University. Seeking new opportunities, she moved to Seattle to study marine biology but realized research wasn’t for her. A job at Seattle Children’s Hospital and a scientific illustration course at the University of Washington revealed the perfect blend of her two interests: science and art.
She later returned to Nebraska as a hospital lab technician while taking graduate courses in fisheries and biology. Encouraged by a professor, she moved to Tucson and enrolled in the University of Arizona’s scientific illustration program under the tutelage of renowned teacher Donald B. Sayner. There she met and married her husband, Phil.
After several years in the East working as a technical illustrator for IBM, Johnson returned to Lincoln. She taught biology and human anatomy labs at Southeast Community College. She received a Master of Arts from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in museum studies with concentrations in fisheries and scientific illustration.
Johnson’s career at Nebraska started in 1992 as an illustrator creating 35mm presentation slides for faculty and graduate students and later training others across the state in the use of presentation software using the principles of graphic design and presentation methods.
In the next phase of her career at the university, Johnson was part of IANR Educational Media, creating some of the first websites at Nebraska. Her job included designing websites for IANR departments and Nebraska Extension, as well as training and supporting staff on maintaining the sites. Not only did she work on the development of web environments from conceptualization to completion, but she also led development and design of user-centric websites based on user surveys, usability research and current best practices for recruitment, accessibility and promotion of site content. She also conducted usability testing to improve user experience.
Johnson developed and coordinated seminars, classes and curriculum and training materials to encourage and train faculty, staff and students in the use of information technology tools. She presented workshops on computer graphics and taught classes in presentation software while designing interactive websites, print media, slides and posters. She later served as a project manager in creating web applications.
In 2015, Johnson started a communications job in the agronomy and horticulture department, bringing her back to her ag roots. She grew up on a farm near Hoskins, Nebraska, where she worked alongside her parents and nine siblings, raising a diverse range of crops, livestock and a menagerie of pets and graduated from nearby Pierce High School.
In this position, Johnson has communicated science research and departmental happenings through design, illustration, photography, writing and web graphic design.
“Lana is a jack-of-all-trades, able to handle everything from coding to design,” Fran Benne, her communications teammate, said. “Her position plays a key role in the strategic communication of the department's mission and accomplishments. With her wit and positive attitude, Lana has made each day going to work a good day.”
Johnson has shared her expertise through three courses at Nebraska. She co-taught Entomology 991: Presentation Methods with Emeritus Professor Marion Ellis and Professor Doug Golick, first in person and later in both in-person and online formats. She also taught Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication 305: Presentation Strategies for three semesters.
Beyond course instruction, Johnson is passionate about scientific illustration and has taught it at the university for nearly three decades, mentoring more than 350 students — a commitment she plans to continue in retirement. She also inspired younger learners, co-teaching a weeklong summer enrichment class on nature and scientific illustration for 17 years, reaching about 35 students each year in grades 2 through 5.
Her artwork has been exhibited in juried shows locally, nationally and internationally, including the Gallery of Art in Santa Cruz, California; Arizona State University in Flagstaff, Arizona; and the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia. She has created art for local and national clients including illustrations for IBM, Carolina Biological Supply Co., University of Arizona, University of Nebraska State Museum and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, as well as numerous scientific textbooks and journals. She edited and designed the book “Drawing for Scientific Illustrations: Technique and Rendering or How to Keep Illustrating When the Wi-Fi Goes Out,” by Donald B. Sayner.
Johnson is a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and currently serves as president of the GNSI Great Plains Chapter. She has presented and taught many seminars and classes at GNSI national conferences, the North Central Branch of the Entomology Society of America conferences, for the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs Inc. and for the GNSI Great Plains Chapter.
Johnson’s awards include the Agronomy and Horticulture Staff Advisory Award twice and the SAC Professional Development Award.
As Johnson looks forward to retirement, she plans to spend more time with family and creating her art — and continue teaching scientific illustration, ensuring her passion for blending science and creativity lives on through future generations.
