From law to physics, Anna discovers her passion

Anna's academic journey began unconventionally, transitioning from law to a passion for physics and maths, which she initially never saw herself pursuing.

Anna had an unconventional start to her academic journey. In high school, she excelled in Humanities and English but never saw herself as a ‘maths person’. After completing her HSC, she spent two years studying Law.

"After two years, I realized Law wasn’t for me. I had started in a double Law/Science (Biology) degree and preferred my biology courses. To my surprise, the foundational maths I had to learn in first year was turning out to be interesting. With an open-minded approach, I was willing to fill any knowledge gaps I’d missed in school. I worked hard, watching online videos and completing practice problems. I realised that not only was I good at maths, I enjoyed it too."

So, at the start of 2020, Anna took a massive gamble and switched to a pure Bachelor of Science, majoring in Physics instead of Biology. "After some encouraging marks in higher-level maths courses, I picked up a Bachelor of Mathematics as well to round out my academic journey."

Anna’s studies have prepared her for working in the industry beyond theoretical concepts. "My degree has taught me that I am capable of learning things I initially find difficult. This has been an empowering mindset, especially in a field like physics, whose reputation precedes it!"

After graduating with a combined Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Mathematics in 2023, Anna decided to explore her passion for maths and science by completing her Honours year in physics.

Her supervisor, Associate Professor Karen Livesey, encouraged her to apply for the AINSE Pathway Scholarship. "I felt incredibly honoured and excited when I found out I had been successful in my application – it was serendipitous timing, as Karen and I were halfway through a project meeting when the email notification came through!"

Anna's Honours project, supported by the AINSE Pathway Scholarship, explores the phase transitions of a magnetic material called atacamite. She builds detailed models predicting changes in atacamite’s magnetic structure with varying magnetic field strengths and temperatures. Using neutron diffraction at ANSTO, which measures magnetic structures directly, she complements experimental data with theoretical modelling. This approach is crucial because certain magnetic phases of atacamite cannot be measured directly through neutron scattering due to limitations in the measurement techniques. By combining theoretical and experimental methods, Anna's work provides a more comprehensive understanding of atacamite's magnetic properties.

Anna is greatly appreciative of the opportunities the scholarship provides. "During Honours, I will have the opportunity to compare my theoretical model with experimental data and see the equipment that captures it firsthand. This will be an incredible privilege."

She also values the networking opportunities the scholarship provided. "Visiting ANSTO is a great way to meet other scientists and create opportunities to share our work."

Anna credits the Physics faculty at the University for her success. "I feel incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to learn from and work with many of them over the last five years. It’s special to feel like I can ask them about coursework and for advice."

She also appreciates the foundational skills she learned in her first-year courses. "I learned how to code in Python in one of my first-year courses, and this skill has been pivotal for my professional development – my current work in theoretical physics centres around my coding skills. It was good to have many opportunities to practice this skill throughout my undergraduate degree."

Anna reflects on one of her proudest achievements. "Publishing in a peer-reviewed journal as an undergraduate student is undoubtedly one of my proudest accomplishments."

Due to graduate at the end of 2024, Anna is actively looking into PhD opportunities for next year. "Research is definitely where I want to be, but I’m unsure where this will take me in the long run – ultimately, though, I think this is really exciting!”

Anna Carpenter

Studying at the University of Newcastle helped Anna to discover her passion for physics and maths, leading her to pursue exciting research opportunities.

My degree has taught me that I am capable of learning things I initially find difficult. This has been an empowering mindset, especially in a field like physics, whose reputation precedes it!