On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Raven Baxter's H.B.I.C. casts women scientists as lab bosses

Raven Baxter released "H.B.I.C.," a hip-hop music video featuring dozens of women in STEM, on YouTube on Feb. 11, 2020, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The letters stand for Head Boss in Charge. In the three-minute video, women scientists dance and work in their own labs and fields. Baxter posted it as Raven the Science Maven under the hashtags #womeninscience, #IWD2020 and #EachforEqual. "We had so much fun making this video!" she wrote with it.

The release came weeks after a federal snapshot of who works in science. On Jan. 15, 2020, the National Science Board reported that women held 29% of U.S. science and engineering jobs in 2017. Women made up about half of the college-educated workforce. They were 16% of engineers. On Feb. 11, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay called on the international community, governments and individuals to work together toward equality in the sciences.

The song claims the top job in a research lab. Its hook pairs "H.B.I.C." with "P.I.," the principal investigator who runs a lab. The first verse spells out that title. "Principal investigator, top of the line numerator," Baxter raps. "Got so many degrees you would think it's an incinerator."

The verses turn lab gear and classroom terms into boasts. A Western blot, an incubator, a particle accelerator, a defibrillator and a calculator all appear. "Haters couldn't do the math, had to get a calculator," goes one line. A dance break names adipose, the body's fat tissue.

The lyrics also call on women to bring each other up. "Gotta put my sisters on," Baxter raps in the second verse. The hook ends on the same idea, with "Girls take it over."

H.B.I.C. followed Big Ole Geeks, her July 2019 remix of Megan Thee Stallion with molecular biology. By August 2020, the new video had drawn about 2,600 views on YouTube.

The UN General Assembly adopted the observance in resolution 70/212 on Dec. 22, 2015, without a vote. The first day was held on Feb. 11, 2016. UNESCO and UN Women lead it with institutions and civil society partners. The #EachforEqual tag came from the 2020 International Women's Day campaign, whose theme was "An equal world is an enabled world."

Baxter was then a doctoral candidate in science education at the University at Buffalo, teaching science at the college and high school levels. Before that, she worked in cancer research and drug discovery.

The United Nations keeps a page on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.