A mentor’s journey

A

t the start of our lab meeting, I did something unconventional: I read my students a poem. “As

you set out for Ithaka; hope your road is a long one; full of adventure, full of discovery,” begins

“Ithaka” by the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy. Then I asked what the words meant to them. We

discussed how the journey in the poem is a metaphor for the human journey through life. We all

may be striving to reach our own personal Ithaka, but the destination isn’t what matters most;

we should take time to enjoy the journey along the way. The exercise was meant to help create a

positive environment for my trainees—and it was part of my own personal journey as a mentor.

By Georgia Fousteri

ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER

Before then, our meetings had

always adhered to a more tradi-

tional format: One lab member

would present a talk on their re-

search and the rest of us would

ask questions and give them feed-

back. The discussions were always

interesting and exciting to me.

But I worried the environment

was intimidating to my trainees.

Apart from the presenter and me,

few took part in the discussion.

Years earlier, I’d been a trainee

myself in a lab that held anxiety-

inducing meetings. The lab head

would spend the bulk of the

time grilling the presenter with

a series of pointed questions.

Presenters would need to know

minute details about articles they

were citing and present their

research using picture-perfect

analyses and graphs.

I often learned a lot in those 2- to 3-hour meetings—how

to think critically, the need to pay meticulous attention to

detail. The lab head was a busy person, and that was a rare

and valuable moment when we had their focused attention.

But when it was my turn to present, I would sometimes suf-

fer from sleepless nights.

I tried to create a more collegial environment when I

started my own lab: I made a point of being friendly and

welcoming while asking my trainees challenging questions

about their science. But 6 years into my stint as lab head, I

felt I hadn’t created the lab environment I wanted.

A turning point came during the pandemic. It hit home

to me that my life span isn’ t endless and that I need to make

the most of the time I have. The isolation also gave me time

for reflection. I realized that in some ways, I had reached

the Ithaka I’d been striving for: a tenured position. It was

time for my next big challenge. I decided that I wanted to

become a better mentor—to make a mark by training the

next generation of scientists.

In my personal life, I had bene-

fited from listening to talks by mo-

tivational speakers and self-help

experts. So I decided to start there.

At our next lab meeting, I showed

my students a video about happi-

ness, hoping it would help them

in their personal life and give us

something light to discuss. I wasn’t

sure how they’d respond, but I was

pleased to discover that they were

interested in discussing the advice

in the video afterward. At the end,

I asked them whether they’d like to

do similar activities in future meet-

ings, and they said yes.

From then on, I have led a

20-minute team building session

at the start of every lab meeting.

My lab members and I play parts

in inspirational scripts, practice

meditation, or do some other

activity—including discussing po-

etry. These sessions have eased tensions and opened minds,

helping foster more participation later in the meeting.

More recently, I’ve also started to adjust how I oversee

the main part of the meeting, which still revolves around a

presentation by a lab member. I now ask the presenter to

send me their slides a few days in advance, and I sit down

with them to discuss their methods and findings. This

way, I can give them constructive feedback ahead of their

presentation—not in front of their peers—and leave more

time in the actual meeting to discuss what their data mean.

I do not know where this journey with my students will

take us. But so far, I feel hopeful about the lab environment

we’re creating. My greatest wish is to see my trainees become

their best selves, understand who they are and what they

want, and reach their career goals. That’s a legacy I can be

proud of. j

Georgia Fousteri is a group leader at the San Raffaele Diabetes Research

Institute. Send your career story to [email protected].

“My greatest wish is to see my

trainees become their best selves ...

and reach their career goals.”

350 21 JANUARY 2022 • VOL 375 ISSUE 6578 science.org SCIENCE

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