Sharing our excitement for structural science through mentorship

One of the most important means by which we can share our enthusiasm for structural science is our mentorship of trainees. Our trainees at all levels gain more than just technical skills from the time we spend with them; they develop their own appreciation and excitement for structural science that they then can spread through their connections and contacts. We play an important role, through our mentorship, in encouraging that excitement, fostering inquiry, and passing on that excitement to others. We often recount where our enthusiasm began, with one or more professors, mentors and/or colleagues whose excitement was infectious and helped us along our own professional journey and development of our own mentorship philosophies. In the current article, I outline how several mentors, including Professors Michael James, Louis Delbaere, Wilson Quail, and others, instilled that excitement for structural science in me and provided examples from which I have developed my perspective on mentorship and how we can pay it forward, supporting and instilling excitement in our trainees.