CienciaCoLab – 2025 Edition
The community leaders of CienciaCoLab's second cohort are individuals committed to collective well-being, who, from their neighborhoods, towns, and projects, drive sustainable solutions rooted in science, education, and social justice. Here we share their stories and proposals because we believe that knowledge, when born from the community, has the power to transform realities.
Participants
John Paul López Villegas, 29 years old and a native of San Juan, has dedicated over 10 years to community service in the Cantera Peninsula. Since childhood, he has led multiple social and environmental projects in response to poverty, unemployment, infrastructure deterioration, and the effects of natural disasters. He has promoted social justice, assistance to the elderly, the delivery of supplies, and youth development. His proposal at CienciaCoLab focuses on an intergenerational project that unites youth and adults through science and technology to create sustainable solutions such as urban gardens, educational workshops, and environmental campaigns. John Paul advocates for science as a tool for community transformation, citizen empowerment, and sustainability.
Iván Báez Santos, 56, and a resident of San Germán, has led the Caín Bajo community for over a decade and is currently the president and founder of the Residents' Association of that community. This impoverished and aging community, in addition to its learned helplessness and reliance on the state or leaders to get things done, faces challenges such as a lack of paving, poor access to water and electricity, among others. Iván has promoted initiatives such as the "Pa’l Barrio" tutoring program, the "Eduvertido Camp," and cultural festivals, combining volunteering and academic partnerships. His project idea at CienciaCoLab seeks to strengthen these activities and foster youth leadership through Integrative Community Therapy, advocating for social science as a tool to observe, analyze, and transform the community based on its own needs.