In my undergrad research, group meetings are where I realized that I really did love the process of research. So many times I, or one of the grad students, would be beating their head against the wall. "I've tried EVERYTHING!" And someone who could have an outside perspective would be able to tackle the problem from a completely different angle. I'd say more than half of the time, these off-hand suggestions would end up moving the project along! Some people dread group meetings, either due to anxiety or thinking they aren't worth the time, but I am a huge fan and look forward to them every week.
Do you disseminate the papers in advance? Do people actually read the papers if you send them out ahead of time? That was a big issue with my graduate lab’s short lived attempts at journal club lol
