Sold-out Nebraska Women in STEM Conference hears Dr. Raven Baxter on authenticity and values

Dr. Raven Baxter gave the keynote address at the second annual Nebraska Women in STEM Conference on April 4, 2024. The sold-out conference met at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha La Vista Hotel & Conference Center in La Vista, Nebraska.

Baxter shared "her journey into a STEM career that emphasized authenticity and leading with your values," according to the conference's published recap. The day's theme was "Nebraska Women: Strive, Thrive, Empower, Mentor," organizers announced when registration opened.

Baxter speaks to the full ballroom in La Vista. Photo: Bio Nebraska

The conference addresses a gap in the state's workforce. In June 2022, the University of Nebraska Omaha's Center for Public Affairs Research released a study based on 48 interviews. Women hold about 27% of STEM jobs in Nebraska and face barriers to entering and advancing in those fields, KMTV reported. Nationally, women made up 35% of the STEM workforce in 2021 and were paid less than men, according to the National Science Foundation.

In a testimonial, organizers Amanda McGill Johnson and Sasha Forsen wrote that Baxter "shared her journey in science with authenticity and humor, and demonstrated what it looks like when you remain true to yourself even in the face of adversity."

Baxter during the keynote. Photo: Bio Nebraska

Nebraska Women in STEM is a partnership of Nebraska Cures and Bio Nebraska, which commissioned the Omaha study. Its mission includes helping the state's professional women in STEM make connections and promoting "policies that increase the number of women in STEM." Bio Nebraska, founded in 2005, is the state's bioscience trade association. Nebraska Cures promotes and advocates for scientific research and education. The first conference, held in Lincoln in March 2023, also sold out.

Other sessions covered negotiation, imposter syndrome and telling your story. "It was comforting to feel like I didn't need to be anything but myself," one attendee said in the recap.

Baxter talks with an attendee after the keynote. Photo: Bio Nebraska

The keynote capped a week of events in the state. Earlier that week, Baxter met teens from Girls Inc. of Omaha at Nebraska Methodist College. There she "challenged the girls' perceptions of what a scientist is," Nebraska Cures reported, and shared her science music videos. On April 3, she joined Jocelyn Bosley of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for "A Conversation with Dr. Raven Baxter" at the Nebraska Union, sponsored by Nebraska EPSCoR.

Baxter is a molecular biologist and science communicator who worked in drug discovery before turning to science education. Her Ph.D. research at the University at Buffalo focused on science communication.

The 2024 conference page and recap are on the Nebraska Women in STEM website.