CM Seminar – “Revealing Hidden Stories: Co-Designing the Thámien Ohlone Augmented Reality Tour”

Presented by: Kai Lukoff

Description:

The Santa Clara University campus is adorned with symbols and monuments, including a Spanish Mission Church, that highlight its Catholic heritage. However, the presence and history of the Ohlone Native Americans, who have inhabited this land for thousands of years and continue to live in the region, receive little to no recognition. How can we utilize augmented reality (AR) to share these hidden stories?

In collaboration with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, our interdisciplinary team developed the Thámien Ohlone AR tour. This tour reveals hidden stories, encourages visitors to engage in critical reflection, and inspires visions of a more just future and received the Best Movie Award at CHI 2024, the leading conference in the field of human-computer interaction. This talk will share insights on co-designing location-based AR experiences for social impact and explore the potential of AR in preserving cultural heritage.

Bio: Kai Lukoff is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at Santa Clara University. He leads the Human-Computer Interaction Lab, focusing on technologies with social impact. His recent work focuses on co-design methods for location-based augmented reality. His research has been featured in prominent conferences such as CHI, CSCW, IMWUT, and DIS, and he was honored with the 2023 Outstanding Dissertation Award from ACM SIGCHI.

Hosted by: Professor Sri Kurniawan

When: Monday, January 26, 2026 from 12:30PM to 1:30PM

Location: 

IN-PERSON @ UCSC Main Campus, E2-280.

Viewing room @ SVC 3212.

LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED AT BOTH LOCATIONS! Faculty and students are highly encouraged to attend.

Zoom info:

https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/95105219890?pwd=PXG6uexrh6P0Ry06aRkxfdTsLhaNhK.1
Meeting ID: 951 0521 9890
Passcode: 160917