Tom McFadden impressed pupils at Tahuna Normal Intermediate with a combination of hip-hop and science yesterday as he winds up a tour of New Zealand's schools as part of the International Science Festival.
Mr McFadden (also known by his stage name Rhymebosome) parodied recent big hits by Nicki Minaj and LMFAO using them to get across complex scientific concepts including DNA and chromosomes.
LMFAO's song Party Rock Anthem became a song about palaeontology and fossils, with Tahuna pupils enthusiastically dancing along to the transformed lyrics.
The performance came as Mr McFadden - an award-winning Stanford University biologist studying towards a master's degree in science communication at the University of Otago - winds up a tour round New Zealand as part of the International Science Festival.
Courtesy of the United States embassy, Mr McFadden has visited primary and intermediate schools in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in a bid to get pupils to turn science into rap, in keeping with the festival theme "What makes us tick?"
The science festival will culminate in a "Science Idol" rap competition, with the winner coming to Dunedin to professionally record their piece at the University of Otago's Albany St recording studio.
Mr McFadden is performing at Dunedin North Intermediate, Balmacewen and St Clair Schools today.
