They have been asked to try to find out whether or not there's life on Mars.

As part of a Federal Government-funded program that is taking place only in St George and the shire, 120 students from 10 schools are spending time with top Australian scientists to discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

The program co-ordinator, Les Vozzo from the University of Western Sydney, said the students were considering "all different areas of science'' to try to answer the question.

"It's all about getting students interested in current scientific practice and issues,'' Dr Vozzo said at a workshop at Beverly Hills Girls High School.

"Today, we are talking about if life can be found in extreme conditions such as high radiation and high salt areas.''

But Dr Vozzo said it seemed unlikely that the students would be finding any Hollywood-style Martians any time in the near future.

"We're not talking about the kind of little green men that you see in movies,'' he said. "If anything, we're talking about bacterial and microbial life.''

The guest speaker, Professor Malcolm Walter, who is the Australian Centre of Astrobiology director, told the students there might have been life on Mars many years ago.

"I think there's a very good chance that there used to be life up there,'' he said. "Mars had all the right conditions such as water, perhaps even lakes. So why not?''

Is there life on Mars?