Celebrating Another Year of FamilySleeps: Turning Challenges into Action

On September 23^rd, 2025, the Family Genomics team came together to celebrate another year of FamilySleeps with our annual meeting, themed “Turning Challenges into Action: Reflections & Directions.” This gathering was more than a celebration, it was a moment to reflect, share and grow together. 

A Thoughtful Start 

In preparation for the day, a few weeks before, the team brainstormed the everyday challenges we face in our work and transformed those lessons into mini-workshops to share insights and strategies with one another. 

We kicked off the day with a warm lunch at Pugin Hall, St Patrick's House, Campus South, joined by Lorna Lopez, Aung Myat Phyo, Benjamin Kirke, Enya Nordon, Holly Hughes, Jacob Kennedy, Mailton Vasconcelos and Sean Farrell. Later, Giulia Gaggioni joined us online and we carried over at the Hamilton Institute, Eolas Building in the University’s Campus North. 

Reflecting on Our Journey 

The afternoon began with a reminder of our team values and mission. Lorna led a review of the past years, highlighting accomplishments, changes in the team, an overview of our ongoing project and setting the stage for the day and our future goals. She also introduced a few quick exercises to remind us of the power of diverse thinking and collaborative work. 

Mini-Workshops: Learning Through Action 

Each workshop was designed to turn a challenge into a learning opportunity: 

• Sean Farrell introduced us to the principles and benefits of Open Science, emphasizing the importance of sharing ideas and resources. A team puzzle challenge – trailed to be solved without communication - illustrated how isolating and misleading science can be without collaboration. 

• Aung Myat Phyo presented the “Academic Football” workshop, using football as a metaphor for teamwork in research. Just as players support each other to score goals, lab mates can help one another reach short-term objectives. 

• Enya Nordon hosted an interactive online session on data visualization, sharing practical tips for creating memorable and effective figures for effective scientific communication. 

• Giulia Gaggioni led a thoughtful discussion on navigating rejections in academic life, encouraging us to reflect on the emotional and professional impact of these moments and how to grow from them. 

• Mailton Vasconcelos wrapped up the workshops with a session on using personal values as decision-making tools, helping us align our actions with our intentions and navigate trade-offs with clarity. 

A Sweet Tradition 

As always, we enjoyed cake during our coffee break, a tradition that adds a touch of sweetness to our reflective and inspiring day. 

Closing Thoughts 

The day was light-hearted yet deeply meaningful, resembling the spirit of Family Genomics. We are a team with clear guidance and values and we support each other not only in completing tasks but in striving toward collective goals. 

This blog post was formatted and refined with the assistance Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4), an AI language model, to enhance clarity and maintain the original tone and style of the author.