A mixed-reality exhibit celebrating Ohlone culture has launched at the University of California Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science, overcoming a federal grant cancellation by the Trump administration. The exhibit, titled "Yuutka" (The Place of the Acorn), opened Sunday and marks the first mixed-reality display in the museum's history, as well as the first designed in collaboration with Ohlone youth.
A Collaborative Effort
The project was funded by a $1.4 million National Science Foundation grant awarded in 2023. However, last year, the Trump administration abruptly terminated the funding as part of a mass cancellation affecting over $1 billion in NSF grants, citing a lack of alignment with agency priorities. Despite this setback, the researchers and Ohlone community persevered, eventually winning a court battle to restore the funds.
Vincent Medina, an educator and culinary activist, and his partner Louis Trevino led the effort to highlight Ohlone culture and improve UC Berkeley's relationship with the community. The exhibit features replicas of black oak trees, projections of native plants, and a cartoon version of Ohlone matriarch Dolores Lameira, who guides visitors through gathering virtual acorns using baskets equipped with 3D sensors.
Empowering Ohlone Youth
The exhibit was co-designed by a group of Ohlone youth aged 7 to 22, who worked with museum researchers and elders to translate their traditions into interactive prototypes. The young participants, known as tappenekšekma (meaning both teachers and learners in the Chochenyo language), helped ensure the exhibit reflects their culture accurately and engagingly.
Jedda Foreman, associate director at the museum, noted that the collaboration helped Ohlone youth feel more connected to the museum and sparked interest in STEM careers. The exhibit emphasizes that Ohlone knowledge is not just part of the past but is firmly rooted in the present and future.
Legal Victory
When the NSF terminated the grant, the researchers filed a class-action lawsuit with the help of Claudia Polsky, a clinical professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, and the law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein. In June 2025, Judge Rita F. Lin ordered the restoration of the grants, ruling that the terminations were unlawful. The legal team has since won similar injunctions for grants from other federal agencies, restoring over $500 million in funding to UC Berkeley.
Despite a recent suspension of the grant by the NSF again, citing "foreign funding" (which the researchers deny), the exhibit has opened as planned. The team hopes to use remaining funds to analyze the impact of the project on Ohlone youth and plans another co-designed exhibit for September 2028.
"It's strange that something like this would be threatening to anyone," said Ari Krakowski, the project's principal investigator. "But I think anyone that came to this exhibit would be like, 'Of course this belongs here.'"
