Darwin Day 2025

I’ve opened a lot of doors because I was curious about what was on the other side of them. My own career has been an experiment.

– Dr. Juan Pablo Carvallo

Dear friends,

Each year on Charles Darwin’s birthday, BSCS Science Learning celebrates his significant contributions to science. This year, we are marking the occasion by featuring another scientist you should know: Dr. Juan Pablo “JP” Carvallo. JP’s research on energy and electricity is currently making an impact everywhere from policy decisions to high school physics classrooms—and he’s become a valued friend and advisor to our curriculum development team at BSCS. 

Originally from Chile, JP began his career helping a mining company determine how to make better use of their power. Motivated by a lifelong “curiosity to open doors and see what’s on the other side,” he moved to the University of California, Berkeley, to pursue an advanced degree. That three-year trip turned into a 15-year adventure. And today, he’s a Research Scientist in the Energy Markets and Policy Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

In this role, he identifies big problems and produces insights to support decision makers with policy changes. JP hopes to “spur change” where it’s needed. That’s exactly what drew him to study the Texas power crisis in February 2021. One week after the widespread power outages, his team began collecting data. Who was affected by the outages? Was there a reason why the outages largely affected minority populations? JP’s team expedited a research report that he hoped would reach and support local decision-makers. Little did he know that the report would reach much further. 

Around this time, BSCS Science Educators Zoë Buck Bracey and Diego Rojas-Perilla were leading a team in the development of a high school physics unit focused on the Texas power crisis. They found JP’s report and sought his help to answer questions students raised in pilot testing.

In collaboration with JP, the BSCS team produced a unit in which students learn about, prioritize, and test solutions to meet their communities’ energy needs. The unit has received rave reviews from high school students and teachers across the country. 

JP shared a review of his own: “The BSCS team was like a super-motivated and diverse set of superheroes working to improve K-12 education into something that I would have welcomed as a kid.” The feeling is mutual. JP’s contributions enabled us to make this unit compelling and relevant to students. We are inspired by his research, and we believe in his vision to spur change. After all, his work is already changing the way thousands of high school students think about energy in their communities.  

On this Darwin Day, I am thankful for JP and all the other scientists and educators who are helping us prepare young people for the world they will inherit.

Sincerely,

Daniel C. Edelson
BSCS Executive Director