Founded in 1995 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion connects scientists with a wide range of religious communities
The Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion at the American Association for the Advancement of Science published a profile of Dr. Raven Baxter on June 18, 2025. The written Q&A ran in the program's Profiles in Science Engagement with Faith Communities series.
Baxter argued that science can learn from church. "There's so much the science community can learn from a good church community," Baxter said. She described her own church as "a come-as-you-are type situation."
"I want to make it like a church, to be honest, where nobody is ever turned away," she said. "Even if they don't believe the same thing I do, I don't have to make them leave or convince them to be like me so they can stay."
In February 2025, Pew's Religious Landscape Study found that 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christian, a share relatively stable since 2019.
Baxter told the program that answering misinformation starts with respect. "Combating misinformation is really about being respectful," she said. "Seeing somebody as human and not some villain, and having a respectful conversation about who they are, who you are, what people believe, and where they got the information."
She also stressed patience. "Combating misinformation is not done in one step, or even one conversation," she said. "It is an investment of time, because you have to build community and trust."
She traced her approach to her science education Ph.D., where she learned about "different ways of knowing." As a model, she pointed to the COVID Vaccine Equity and Education Project. She said the group suggests other ways for people who decline the vaccine to keep themselves and their communities safe.
Raised Catholic, Baxter said a high school reading of John Polkinghorne's "Quantum Physics and Theology" influenced her view of faith and discovery. "My journey in pursuit of discovery strengthens both my faith and my ability to do science," she said.
Baxter in a still from her 2019 music video Big Ole Geeks, one of the images in the DoSER profile. Image: Big Ole Geeks music video
She described her path from drug discovery to science education, then to music with "Big Ole Geeks." In 2020, she said, a church played one of her music videos during a service to encourage members to take pandemic precautions. "That was my first signal that my science communication can exist in faith spaces," she said.
AAAS, founded in 1848 and publisher of the Science journals, established the program, known as DoSER, in 1995 to support communication between scientific and religious communities. The profile series dates to 2020 and includes about two dozen scientists and science communicators, among them Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J., of the Vatican Observatory.
Baxter, in a pink beekeeping suit, in a still from her Nerdy Jobs series. Image: Nerdy Jobs trailer
Baxter, a molecular biologist known online as Dr. Raven the Science Maven, has shared science on social media since 2016. Her Ph.D. research at the University at Buffalo focused on culturally responsive science communication.
The full profile and the series are on DoSER's website.
Dr. Raven Baxter reports from the launch of the Planetary Health Check 2026 at Climate Week NYC, where she interviewed climate scientist Johan Rockström and former Unilever chief executive Paul Polman.
Dr. Raven Baxter reports from the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, from the SDG Media Zone at UN Headquarters and the Unstoppable Africa business forum.
Dr. Raven Baxter launched The Science of Life, her newsletter on Substack, on Sept. 2, 2026, with a post answering thousands of comments on a crocodile's virgin birth.
