As the Ethiopian year-2012-is coming to a close, I have been reflecting on my ‘biggest’ lesson of the year.

Of course, if we pay enough attention, each day has its own lesson. Each day implants a seed of change in us. Thus, picking up one big lesson may not be straight forward—and may in fact be outright pretentious. I am venturing into indulgence.

At CDT-Africa, we have taken the issue of gender equity very seriously and literally. I have been reading, and learning from my students, colleagues and mentors alike. The specific “Lesson of the Year” came from a book review article published in Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02205-8). The book was written by Dr Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician who was herself a victim of the STEMM environment. She highlights that one of the problems with STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) is the value it places on people. She highlights that STEMM values ‘ingressive’ behaviour (more competitive, prioritizing individualism and independence). ‘Congressive’ style of behaviour (collaborative, emphasizing community and interdependence) is a more conducive and nurturing environment. The reviewer emphasises that if we want more women in STEMM “we should stop trying solely to recruit women into hostile STEMM environments; instead, we should train researchers to be inclusive”.

 ‘Congressive’ values and behaviour are important not just for ensuring participation of women, but as a principle of daily living and leadership. The reviewer quotes Dr Cheng: “I nurture, encourage and reward congressive behaviour such as curiosity, open-mindedness and collaboration, not ingressive behaviour such as showing off, posturing or belittling others.” I suppose this is what medemer would be? 

I hope the coming year will be a year when we nurture and demonstrate congressive values. That seems to be the quickest path to progress.