When Brett McKay opens doors to a nuclear reactor, he hopes to open the minds of his students as well.
Enrolments in physics classes at Kirrawee High School have increased four-fold under his watch and it's little wonder why.
For his efforts the Sydney teacher, who strives to emphasise career pathways and possibilities in the field of science, has been recognised in Australia's most prestigious awards for outstanding achievements in scientific research and education.
Mr McKay won the $50,000 teaching in excellence category of the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science, announced at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday.
Six of his students recently undertook work experience at the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor while others on an excursion got to control the Parkes radio telescope in western NSW.
Mr McKay is more than just showing the flashy side of science, recalling how the workers at Parkes had refitted all the alarms to sound like cockatoos.
"That just triggers them to say, 'oh there is this quirky side that I like'," he told AAP.
Inside the classroom, Mr McKay says it's essential to get more students asking why and how.
"Every kid as a child asks questions but when they get to high school, they've stopped," he says.
"Then we've got to get them starting again."
Changing the perception that science can't be fun, rewarding and friendly is also a goal for Jenny Graves.
The esteemed evolutionary geneticist is the first women to be individually awarded the $250,000 Prime Minister's Prize for Science.
"Science is full of people - we work in big groups and have friends and colleagues all over the world," she says.
But, having spent a lifetime advocating for better outcomes for women in science, Professor Graves says the practicalities for working women still need to improve.
"We're still losing an awful lot of young women who are finding families and husbands and science are really stressful so we have to make life easier for those people," she told AAP.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the awards ceremony scientists were unsung heroes.
"Few of you have the public profile of our leading sports stars yet your work has shaped our nation, enriched our lives, saved lives," he said.
Mr Turnbull said the inquisitive and challenging approach of scientists had pushed MPs out of their comfort zone over the years.
"Chief Scientist Alan Finkel is continuing this great tradition," he said.
Earlier this week, his government announced it was abandoning the 50th recommendation - a clean energy target - of Mr Finkel's review into energy security.
Meanwhile, $250,000 prize for innovation went to dental researcher and entrepreneur Eric Reynolds.
Genome researcher Jian Yang (Life Scientist of the Year), physicist Dayong Jin (Physical Scientist of the Year) and Wollongong teacher Neil Bramsen (Excellence in Primary Teaching) were also recognised.
