The Evidence Collective elects Dr. Raven Baxter as a member
Members of The Evidence Collective, a network of scientists, clinicians and communicators, elected Dr. Raven Baxter to the group on March 4, 2026.
Petition by Dr. Raven Baxter asks accreditors to require communication training in every science degree
Founded in 2007, Change.org calls itself the world's platform for change and says more than 500 million people in 196 countries use it
Dr. Raven Baxter launched a public petition on Change.org on Nov. 4, 2025. It asks that every science degree in the United States require training in communication and public engagement.
"We've built a system that can cure diseases, but not cure confusion," Baxter says in a one-minute video she posted to Instagram that week. "That's a problem."
The petition arrived in a year of rising measles cases. By July 2025, U.S. cases had reached 1,288, the highest level in three decades, Bloomberg reported. A Pew Research Center survey published in November 2024 found that 45% of U.S. adults said "good communicators" described research scientists well. That was 9 points lower than in 2019.
The petition points to measles, whooping cough, flooding, wildfires, heat waves and confusion during COVID-19. "These are not failures of science," it says. "They happen when scientists are not trained to talk with the public."
"Most STEM students graduate without receiving any training on how to present what they know to a classroom, city council, or a parent," Baxter says in the video. When experts can't explain their work, she says, people "believe whoever sounds the most confident, not necessarily whoever's correct."
Baxter says she is calling on universities and their accreditors to make communication training mandatory. Image: Dr. Raven Baxter / Instagram video
"I'm calling on universities and their accreditors to make communication training mandatory for every STEM degree," she says.
The petition asks for courses taught by trained experts in science communication and education, working alongside research faculty. Students would make real projects for the public, such as videos, infographics, workshops and public talks.
Its named decision makers are the U.S. Department of Education and four accreditors. They are the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the Higher Learning Commission, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
The petition also says what the requirement is not. Its list begins with "Not political" and "Not a replacement for lab training." It adds, "Not about becoming influencers. It's about building trust."
"If you're raising the next generation to do science, you must raise them to communicate their science too," Baxter says. In the video's caption, she wrote, "We should not wait until the next pandemic or natural disaster to prepare scientists to speak."
As of Oct. 7, 2026, the petition had 1,026 signatures toward a goal of 1,500.
Baxter is a molecular biologist who worked in drug discovery before moving into science education. Her Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction and the Science of Learning, from the University at Buffalo, focused on science communication research.
The petition is open on Change.org, and the video is on Instagram.
