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Raven Baxter

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For the fictional character, see Raven Baxter (character).
Raven Baxter
A portrait photo of Raven Baxter, wearing
Baxter in 2020
Other namesRaven the Science Maven
Education
Employer(s)Buffalo Public Schools, Erie Community College
Websitewww.scimaven.com

Raven Baxter is an American science communicator and STEM educator. Baxter began posting science education videos on social media under the username Raven the Science Maven in 2017.

Education

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Baxter completed bachelor's and master's degrees in biology at Buffalo State College in 2014 and 2016, respectively. For her master's thesis, she studied protein folding in Caenorhabditis elegans.[1] In 2021, she earned her Ph.D. in curriculum, instruction, and the science of learning from the University at Buffalo, and was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.[2] Her dissertation was titled "Culturally responsive Science Communication: The messengers, messages, and voices in communicating science through Hip-Hop".[3]

Career

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While pursuing her master's degree, Baxter worked as a substitute teacher in Buffalo Public Schools.[2] She went on to work at AMRI Global in drug discovery following her Master's program and recounted her experiences working as a Black woman in science research in a Mother Jones article.[4] Baxter also taught as an assistant professor of biology at Erie Community College, an experience which she says changed her career path.[5] While completing her Ph.D. program, Baxter worked as an academic adviser at Buffalo State.

Baxter was invited to give the opening keynote at SciComm2020.[6] Following her tweet floating an idea for a Dirty Jobs spin-off called "Nerdy Jobs", Baxter was contacted by fellow science communicator and Crash Course host Hank Green with an offer to fund a pilot.[7][8] Also in 2020, Baxter was recognized as an emerging leader in the field of healthcare, when USA Fortune Magazine named her to their "40 Under 40 in Health".[9][10][11]

Baxter launched a STEM-themed apparel line called Smarty Pants Clothing in January 2021.[12][13] She presented at the RTI Fellows Program Distinguished Lecture Series on leadership and communication in 2021.[14] Also in 2021, Baxter and fellow University of Buffalo PhD candidate Olivia Geneus organized, respectively, the #BlackInSciCom and #BlackInNano Twitter hashtags as part of their #BlackInX initiative to increase visibility of Black scientists.[15] She partnered with the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) during Earth Week 2021 to create a series of videos to educate students about climate change.[16]

In 2022, Baxter was recognized as an Ebony Magazine Power 100 Trailblazer in STEM, by Forbes Magazine among their "30 Under 30" in Science for her science communication, in particular through rapping, and with a Woman of Distinction Award from the American Association of University Women.[17][18][19][20]

As of 2024, she works remotely for Mount Sinai Hospital of New York.[21]

Music

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In 2017, Baxter began publishing science education videos under the moniker "Raven the Science Maven."[18] Baxter has used her social media platform to counter misinformation around COVID-19 and vaccines. In 2021, she released "Big Ole Geeks," a parody of Megan Thee Stallion's hit "Big Ole Freak".[22] "Wipe It Down," Baxter's parody of Lil Boosie's "Wipe Me Down," contained information and safety tips related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] Baxter's "The Antibody Song", a parody of Megan Thee Stallion's "Body", went viral.[22][24] In response to one controversial tweet made by Nicki Minaj on side effects of vaccines, Baxter shared a rap song she made on how vaccines work.[25][26]

Personal life

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In May 2024, while she was in the process of buying a condo in Virginia Beach, Baxter's broker informed her that the seller rescinded the agreement because she learned that Baxter was Black. Baxter shared the news on Twitter, and following advice of commenters, filed discrimination claims with the Virginia Fair Housing Office and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Baxter's broker later said that the seller changed her mind, and The New York Times reported that the sale was set to close later in the summer.[21]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ Baxter-Christian, Raven (August 2017). Immunological Strategies to Study GRP170 in Caenorhabditis elegans (Thesis).
  2. ^ a b "2021 Commencement" (PDF). The University at Buffalo. p. 7.
  3. ^ "Culturally responsive Science Communication: The messengers, messages, and voices in communicating science through Hip-Hop". Buffalo State. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  4. ^ Baxter, Raven; Flynn Mogensen, Jackie. "I'm a Black Female Scientist. On My First Day of Work, a Colleague Threatened to Call the Cops on Me". Mother Jones. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Our Stories: Raven Baxter '14, '16". Buffalo State. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Raven the Science Maven: Raven Baxter 2020 SciComm Keynote Speaker 1". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  7. ^ Kearns, Michelle (2020). "Raven the Science Maven takes off: GSE PhD candidate's science education efforts get rave reviews". Learn Magazine. Vol. Fall 2020, no. 1. University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  8. ^ Baxter, Raven. "Nerdy Jobs S1E1: Exploring the Magic ✨ of Protein Crystallization with Dr. Raven the Science Maven!". YouTube. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Raven Baxter, 2020 40 under 40 in Health, Fortune". Fortune. 2020-09-03. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  10. ^ a b Robinson, Marcene (September 15, 2020). "Fortune names UB graduate student to '40 Under 40'". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  11. ^ Khatchatryan, Astgik (2021-08-02). "Raven Baxter is the New Director of Diversity Initiatives at UC Irvine's School of Biological Sciences". Orange Coast Mag. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  12. ^ Howes, Laura (February 21, 2021). "Science style and a makeup shake-up". cen.acs.org. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  13. ^ "STEM Workers: Be Your Unapologetic Self". Gizmodo. 27 February 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  14. ^ "The RTI Fellow Program Distinguished Lecture Series: The Modern Lyrics of Leadership and Communication in Science". RTI. 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  15. ^ Ly, Heather (1 April 2021). "'Black in X' hashtag aims to amplify, celebrate Black voices in science". WGRZ.
  16. ^ Carter, Kate (13 April 2021). "NCSE and Raven the Science Maven: A collaboration to help new generations teach climate change". National Center for Science Education.
  17. ^ a b "Women of Distinction Awards". AAUW : Empowering Women Since 1881. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  18. ^ a b c "Forbes 30 Under 30 2022: Science". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  19. ^ a b "STEM Trailblazers Archives". Ebony. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  20. ^ "Science and Risk Communication During Outbreaks: From Science Communicators to Journalists". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  21. ^ a b Kamin, Debra (2024-05-31). "She Made an Offer on a Condo. Then the Seller Learned She Was Black". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  22. ^ a b Currin, Grant. "These Videos Could Boost COVID Vaccination Rates". Scientific American. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  23. ^ "Raven Baxter | Keynote Speaker | AAE Speakers Bureau". www.aaespeakers.com. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  24. ^ Fallik, Dawn (26 September 2021). "Black female biologist tests, entertains and explains science on TV, social media". Washington Post.
  25. ^ Antibodyody Antibody Song - Raven the Science Maven, retrieved 2022-01-06
  26. ^ Wagner, Bayliss. "Fact check: COVID-19 vaccine doesn't cause side effects in Nicki Minaj tweet". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  27. ^ "Get to Know Our Scholars". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
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