But at Canberra Girls' Grammar School last night, there was nothing cooler than having Nobel Prize winning astrophysicist Professor Brian Schmidt open a $13.5 million science wing.

In fact, girls at the school think science is so cool they are bucking almost every national trend the federal government is trying to combat.

According to the most recent reports, science enrolments nationally are shrinking and girls are avoiding the ''hard'' sciences of physic and chemistry in favour of the ''soft'' sciences of biology and psychology.

A Group of Eight analysis last week found only a quarter of all college physics subject completions were by girls.

But Girls Grammar principal Anne Coutts said the school had managed to defy the national trend with 245 years 11 and 12 students out of a total of 312 studying one or more science subjects. Of that 245, 161 were enrolled in physics and/or chemistry, compared with 84 enrolled in biology.

Mrs Coutts, a medical researcher who recalls being the only girl in her physics class in Britain, said the new science wing would encourage further interest in the subjects among students.

She said science leadership was required across all schools and girls should be given every option in science as their analytical skills made them ''naturally good scientists''.

Professor Schmidt described the facilities, which include 10 new labs and a cavernous foyer, as ''an amazing vote of confidence for science, a critical step for all students to gain scientific literacy, and for budding scientists to gain the knowledge for a successful future''.

The wing represented one of the largest single investments the school had made in its 85-year history - replacing 50-year-old facilities.

But head of science Richard Kent said the relationship between a science teacher and their student remained the most crucial element in science learning.

Australia's chief scientist Ian Chubb said last night he was ''hopeful'' the federal government will today respond to his March report, which considered ways in which to make maths and science subjects more appealing to students. And it is expected the government will allocate some budget funding towards better integrating science and maths skills into teacher education to raise the quality of their subject knowledge.

Professor Schmidt said he hoped Professor Chubb's report would be backed up in the budget. ''I have my fingers crossed,'' he said. ''Even small amounts can have major impacts if they are spent wisely. This is going to be a tough budget, but we have to push forward with science and maths learning and education in general, as they are so crucial to our future.''

Professor Schmidt - who won the Nobel Prize in October - is having success in making science ''cool'' through his enthusiasm, advocacy and regular public appearances across Australia.

Feted like a rock star by students at last night's opening, he was asked by students to autograph all sorts of paraphernalia and expressed particular delight when one budding scientist asked him to autograph her well-worn (and thoroughly memorised) pocket-sized periodic table.