We have a reading group in our lab. The goal is to present research results by others elsewhere that can inform the work in our own team.
I’m really appreciating the energy of this process. Rather than always looking inward, the reading group helps us to understand that everything we do is part of a larger world of like-minded folks.
Holding a regular reading group makes it easier to see that research, at its core, is not a competition, but a grand cooperative venture. Every researcher everywhere is contributing to the larger goal.
At core, this is a good way of teaching gratitude and generosity. And that’s a very good thing.