Abstract
WHAT THESE EMAILS TAUGHT ME: A PERSONAL REFLECTION ON MENTORSHIP FROM PROFESSOR PIOTR SZEFER
Journal: i TECH MAG (Research Review)
Author: Chee Kong Yap
DOI: 10.26480/itechmag.08.2026.01.03
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This reflective article traces my correspondence with Professor Piotr Szefer from 2005 to 2022 and considers how steady mentorship can shape a scientific life. My first fortunate contact and email exchange began with his request for a reprint of my paper in 2005. It continued through his kind acceptance to examine my doctoral student in 2012, his prompt administrative help in 2015, his willingness to serve as my professorship assessor in 2019, and his generous congratulations on my promotion in 2022. Across these moments he combined intellectual rigor with humility and encouragement. I describe why I admire his scholarship, his character, and his sense of community, and I express my gratefulness for recognition given at critical times. The record shows that knowledge is not measured by fees or rankings but by the lives of scholars it strengthens and the standards it upholds.
| Pages | 01-03 |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 8 |