Judy Giordan was the featured speaker in the 2013 International Conference on Applied Mathematics, Modeling and Computational Science (AMMCS-2013) special session on Women in Mathematics on August 29, 2013. She kicked off the session with her presentation "The power of diversity: women's leadership in STEM fields. The role of innovators and innovation."

Judy focuses on why developing women innovators and enhancing diversity is key to bringing about the innovations that the world needs. She encourages women to embrace their potential and to succeed and to rely on one another to help everyone move ahead.

Download her slides here, and read the press release from Wilfrid Laurier University - Waterloo campus in Ontario, Canada, where the AMMCS-2013 conference was held. 

Judy's thoughts on obstacles for women in science were published in the C&EN article Women in Industry on August 26, 2013. Judy notes that women are too reserved in talking about their accomplishments and thus rarely gain the clout held by marketing and sales people.

“We are not the ones who will jump up and down,” Giordan tells C&EN. “We are trained to publish and give talks. That is how you get your point across.”

She also points out that women hesitate to speak up or take credit, in fear of seeming aggressive.

“It is false modesty. If you have the solution to the problem and you don’t open your mouth about it, whose fault is it that the problem wasn’t solved?”