Message from the President of the Executive Board Eurico

Dear GABBA community and ATG newsletter readers,

The last couple of years brought us the most unexpected challenges. The scientific community joined efforts to overcome a global health problem and came into the limelight of public recognition. However, we also had to radically reduce social life, projects were interrupted...the occasional smiles were hidden. Many have felt in their own skin the impact of the pandemic period on their mental health, which is therefore the central theme of our newsletter. Adding up to the COVID-19 pandemic, we live in a fast-paced world where it is critical to raise the awareness of mental health problems so that adequate support is timely given. The survey presented in the ATG newsletter leaves no doubts regarding the negative effects of the pandemic period and presents worrying figures regarding lack of motivation and anxiety. This calls for urgent action from the academic community.

In this issue, we also make tribute to Prof. Benita Rocha, an inspiration for many researchers and students of the GABBA program, and who we sadly lost on the 2nd of October. Prof. Benita Rocha was an outstanding immunologist and one of the first students of Prof. Maria de Sousa. We further present the program of the tribute to Prof. Maria de Sousa “A school without walls by Maria the Sousa”. It will be happening on the auditorium of Biblioteca Almeida Garrett in the 14th of April, 2022. All GABBA community is invited and will soon receive a registration link. We hope this will be the perfect opportunity to bring together all GABBA community while living the memory of our dear mentor. Her vision and tenacity had the most profound impact in the Portuguese science, and we are an important part of her legacy. The close connection of Prof. Maria the Sousa and her students was something that made her extremely proud. Let’s now get together to acknowledge her significance to our path!

what has been achieved. The ATG newsletter is a great example. There have already been 13 ATG newsletters, where students and alumni worked together to connect the GABBA network, and to disseminate a number of relevant topics linking our science with society. I must warmly thank Mafalda Azevedo, the Editor-in-chief of the last 5 editions, and also a number of GABBA students, such as Telmo Catarino, who played an important role in this edition. Furthermore, there have been 6 editions of the Ciência Viva by ATG award aimed at raising the curiosity for science in high-school students (prizes of the current edition will be announced during the GABBA meeting), and 3 editions of the Maria de Sousa Research program, which was interrupted in 2020, and will be resumed in 2022 to enable university students to have their very first research experience. Nevertheless, ATG has not “(...) we live in a fast-paced world where it is critical to raise the awareness of mental health problems so that adequate support is timely given.” succeeded in raising the global interest in the GABBA community. Only around 15% of the GABBA alumni are ATG members, and year after year, the association has grown on the continued collaboration of a small group of people. Whereas this puts ATG at risk, ATG is now, more than ever, the necessary seed to propagate the story and values of GABBA. Renovation is urgently needed! At the beginning of the year, I accepted the challenge to be president of ATG during a transition period necessary to identify new members for the social organs. I am positive that we will soon find a board with renewed energy that will give us reasons to believe in a bright future ahead. This will be certainly possible if new members join the association and are willing to be actively involved. We need you, so that all of us can benefit from this unique network of #MadeinGABBA researchers. I hope you have a good read, enjoy a wonderful family time during Christmas and make the best out of 2022. And please...dear alumni and students, I am sure a quality time off is more than deserved and necessary. Do not feel guilty, use it to boost your motivation levels.

While thinking about this editorial, I could not stop myself from reflecting about the past and future of ATG. On the bright side, we must feel proud of Cheers,