Devontae C. Baxter, PhD

CARP is a training and mentoring initiative that I developed as a National Science Foundation Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at UC San Diego. As the director of the CARP program I organize and lead engaging workshops tailored for community college students who aspire to transfer to a four-year university and engage in undergraduate research.

The CARP program equips prospective transfer students with essential Python programming, data analysis skills, and personalized mentorship to streamline their transition to a four-year university. To date, three CARP cohorts have completed the program, with many scholars going on to transfer to four-year institutions and participate in competitive research and internship opportunities.

CRANE is a virtual, nationwide data science training program led by a diverse team of graduate and postdoctoral researchers in physics and chemistry. CRANE addresses high barriers to entry in computational research that historically exclude underrepresented students.

As a CRANE leader, I develop curriculum materials, lead interactive workshops, and collaborate across institutions to:

• Provide a welcoming environment for historically underrepresented students to learn and gain confidence in computational physics.
• Equip students with fundamental computational tools and introduce advanced algorithms used in cutting-edge research.
• Facilitate meaningful academic and professional networking opportunities.
• Guide students taking their first steps toward careers in computational physics and data science.

PACE is a peer-mentoring program that I co-led with Dr. Francisco J. Mercado during my graduate studies at UC Irvine.

The program provides structured, formal mentorship to first-year graduate students through monthly professional development workshops and dedicated 1-on-1 mentoring to ease the transition into graduate school.