Juliet Kirby wants more girls to share in the glow of pride—and plasma—she experiences as a physics student at ANU.

Juliet Kirby can talk about physics until she’s purple in the face.

And we’re not speaking figuratively here.

Her face literally turns purple as a plasma device is turned on and begins glowing bright purple.

“The MAGPIE machine actually generates real plasma. When they run it through with hydrogen it goes purple, and with nitrogen it goes orange,” says Juliet.

The MAGPIE is just one of the many devices that Juliet can access as an undergraduate physics student at ANU.

“We have these amazing machines that are worth thousands of dollars, and my lecturers trust me to turn them on, even as an undergraduate,” she says.

 “I even got to see the University’s Tokamak, which is one of the biggest and most powerful plasma fusion generators in the world.

“I’m so lucky to get access to it.”

Lucky too is Juliet, for going against the tide of girls at her high school who chose not to capitalise on their natural talent and passion for physics.

“There were some really bright girls in my physics class at school, but no-one other than me pursued physics to university,” she says.

 “I definitely think it’s important for young women to study physics,” she says. “Girls are really good at it, and interested in it too.”

Alongside her Bachelor of Science, Juliet is also studying her other true love, law, through a Flexible Double Degree.

And while these two disciplines seem like they couldn’t be further from each other, they are actually quite complementary.

“I love the contrast between the two,” she says.

“My physics cohort is small, which is really nice because in my law courses there is a whole lecture theatre full of 200 people.

“And if I’m struggling with a law essay where I don’t know if I’m right or wrong, I can just turn to some physics problems so I can get a straight answer,” she says.

Juliet hopes her career will encompass her passion for both physics and the law.

“Studying physics and law has really opened up doors for me, especially in law involving technology,” she says.

“I wrote an essay on space law last semester and I just fell in love with it.

“If I was an in-house lawyer for a space or tech start-up, that would be my ideal job.”