Mary C. Juhas, PhD says she was destined to have a career in
organization finds that women tend to be less comfortable with
science. Her father was an engineer. His father was an engineer,
self-promotion, have smaller networks, tend to be screened out
and as a young girl in her suburban Pittsburgh neighborhood,
at every level of the process, and tend to be more risk adverse
she remembers feeling like anything was possible.
in some situations. It adds up to a lack of representation and
“We were empowered, confident, inquisitive, and scientific.” she said. “We were scholarly, and when we played, we played
voice for females not just as scientists, but also as entrepreneurs and inventors.
both the male and female roles because there were no boys.”
Elimination of those barriers requires an intentional pursuit.
Dr. Juhas also remembers when those ideas came into
Dr. Juhas believes there is promise with the recently passed
question. It was once she entered engineering school. The
Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act. The law seeks
voice that she was so accustomed to using seemed to be
to “Encourage its entrepreneurial programs to recruit and
systematically quieted, while the lack of representation and
support women to extend their focus beyond the laboratory
promotion of women in STEMM (science, technology,
and into the commercial world.’’ As support for the bill,
engineering, math, and medicine) fields was glaring. It was the
Congress found that while women and men are equally
focus of Dr. Juhas’ remarks as the featured speaker for the
represented in the total workforce, there are far fewer
2017 Women’s Leadership Breakfast. On March 8, an audience
women working in STEMM fields, and of the women who
of 115 future and current leaders gathered in CSG’s Ruch Dining
attain STEMM degrees, the majority are working in non-
Room to take on the 2017 challenge for International Women’s
STEMM fields. On the other side, Congress also found that
Day: Be Bold for Change.
studies have shown that technology & commercialization
“I am going for money, power, and influence,” Dr. Juhas said. “Because just being nice and working hard is not enough.” It is a bold statement from a woman making bold moves for change. Dr. Juhas went on to become an engineer, earning a B.S. in Chemistry from Seton Hill University, a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering
ventures are successful when women are in top management positions. The findings are more fuel for Dr. Juhas’ vision of advancement for females in STEMM fields and beyond. “My bold vision is women occupying the post of the United States Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Defense,” Dr. Juhas said. “Energy and defense… imagine the possibilities if women made the key decisions about war and our nuclear arsenal.”
from The Ohio State University. Her scholarly research is
The comment brought a rousing round of applause from the
focused on understanding microstructure/property
women in the room who could imagine that day, the day when
relationships in structural metallic systems. Dr. Juhas is an
they would no longer have to imagine. It was a feeling topped
angel investor, ex-officio member and past chair of the
only by a promise.
President & Provost’s Council on Women at Ohio State, and was the 2015-2016 national president of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN), among other accomplishments. Now, her career has taken a turn to helping
“They don’t self-promote. We will promote for them,” Dr. Juhas said. “We are going to build these research leaders and they will be prepared. They will be ready.”
other women to promote their intellectual property in a way that everyone at the table, including the men, have to listen.
Dr. Juhas is an engineer, a teacher, and Director of Ohio State
Through her work as Director at Ohio State ADVANCE, where it
ADVANCE at The Ohio State University. An angel investor and
has been found that women are underrepresented in all measures of entrepreneurial activity, Dr. Juhas works to improve representation, recruitment, retention and advancement of women in STEMM. The organization is also home base to “REACH for Commercialization,” an initiative to
ex-officio member and past chair of the President & Provost’s Council on Women at Ohio State, she has been recognized, nationally and internationally, for her work to advance gender equity. For more information on Ohio State ADVANCE or “Reach for Commercialization,” go to http://advance.osu.edu/.
develop the entrepreneurial capacity of women. The
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FORTE ET GRATUM • SPRING 2017