Strengthening Our Department Through Shared Values

Just got back from our department’s retreat, and what a ride it was! Two days of pure connection, learning, and fun.

We had a blast listening to some of the latest research from our department in a popular science fashion. It was like being in a live science podcast, but better because we were part of the conversation.

And guess what? We’re about to welcome some new PIs into our department. Got a chance to meet them at the retreat, and had nice talks as well as a shared (very) early morning run!

But here’s the thing: science is hard. It’s stressful. That’s why we need to make sure our work environment is as positive and welcoming as possible. That’s where trust, respect, inclusion, and diversity come in. These aren’t just fancy words; they’re the foundation of our department.

I was lucky enough to help organize a workshop on these topics. We had some real talk about what these values mean to us and how they can help us do our best work. We even had a guest speaker who shared their experiences. It was real, it was practical, and it was inspiring.

We didn’t get lost in the semantics. We focused on what we can do to make our department better. We talked about the changes we want to see and the things we’re already doing well. It was all about action, not just words.

And of course, we had to have some fun. We took the first PI-PhD student photo, a moment that will go down in our group’s history.