The Lawrence Lobby is Getting a Makeover—and it Starts With an Oak Tree

Walk into the Lawrence Hall of Science on May 16, and you might feel like you’ve stepped into something new. Our lobby is being reimagined from the ground up as a welcoming, story-driven space that reflects what The Lawrence has always believed: that science belongs to everyone, and that it’s most powerful when it’s rooted in community.

The transformation has been years in the making. As The Lawrence has worked to update its exhibits, deepen its community partnerships, and make its spaces more inclusive and welcoming, the lobby remained one piece that hadn’t yet caught up. That changes this spring.

“We’ve done so much work to update the rest of the building and engage our visitors,” said Michelle Rodriguez, Director of Content Strategy. “The lobby redesign is about making it a multi-use space that really functions for everybody — and telling a clearer story about what science is and what it should be.”

That story has a tagline: Science is people powered. And from the moment visitors walk through the front doors, they’ll feel it.

The first thing visitors encounter in the renovated lobby won’t be a sign or a display case. It’ll be a tree.

yuutka (yoot-kah) is the Chochenyo word for “the place of acorn,” and it gives its name to one of the lobby’s most exciting new features: three large Black Oak trees that greet visitors at the entrance, brought to life through a playful mixed-reality experience. Virtual acorns fall from the branches, and visitors can gather them while learning about the seasonal rhythms of the East Bay and the deep traditions of the Ohlone people, who have called this land home since long before any institution existed here.

The yuutka experience was co-created with Ohlone youth from the tappenekšekma Ohlone Science Diplomats program and is designed to be the lobby’s warm first hello — an invitation to explore, play, and connect with the original science of the East Bay.

“In Chochenyo, the first language of the East Bay, tappenekšekma, means ‘learners and teachers’ and acknowledges how Ohlone youth participants in this historic program at The Lawrence are learning about museum exhibit design while simultaneously teaching about Ohlone culture through their work,” said Vincent Medina, a leader of UC Berkeley’s ‘ottoy Initiative.

“To witness this representation led by Ohlone people, where everyone benefits together, is what ‘ottoy—repair— looks like in action; it speaks to positive change that the ‘ottoy Initiative, which is proudly based at The Lawrence, is accomplishing together with our community and our colleagues.”

From the yuutka tree, visitors move into a refreshed look at the man whose name the institution bears. The Ernest O. Lawrence exhibition is being modernized and reframed: where the previous display focused on Lawrence’s individual achievements, the new version tells a bigger story. Lawrence’s greatest contribution wasn’t just the cyclotron — it was the way he practiced science, bringing together people across disciplines and building something larger than any one person could do alone.

That spirit of collaboration is still alive and well across the Bay Area today. From Lawrence’s Berkeley hills laboratory, the story ripples outward to the researchers, educators, artists, and community members who carry that same curiosity and generosity forward.

Perhaps the most personal element of the new lobby is a series of large-scale panels spotlighting Bay Area community members — people The Lawrence has worked with, learned from, and been inspired by over the years. Their stories are as varied as the community itself: a young person now writing books in multiple languages, a volunteer who has been with The Lawrence for decades, community organizers, researchers, educators, and more.

Together, their portraits make a powerful argument: that science isn’t only something that happens in a lab. It happens in neighborhoods, classrooms, kitchens, and parks. It happens wherever curious people come together.

“Working with the Science Heroes has been my favorite part of this whole project,” Rodriguez said. “We want to show the people behind the science, increase representation, and help visitors — especially young people — see themselves as the future of science.”

Not everything is changing. The lobby will keep some of its most beloved hands-on interactives, including the earthquake shake tables, KEVA planks, and rocket launchers, all in an updated configuration. Clearer wayfinding will also help visitors — especially first-timers — discover that there’s much more to explore downstairs and throughout the building.

As with Future of Food, all signage will be bilingual in English and Spanish, with elements of Chochenyo. And scattered throughout the space, visitors will spot a cast of new characters: local wildlife including a fence lizard, red-shouldered hawk, great horned owl, bobcat, and a family of gophers — playful nods to the Berkeley hills ecosystem just outside the building’s doors.

Installation begins May 6, and although The Lawrence will remain open throughout the renovation, some areas will be temporarily cordoned off on public days. The full lobby experience will be ready for visitors on May 16, with a community celebration and $5 Day on May 17.