Categories: News

Science rapper returns to science festival

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-349" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2012&sol;05&sol;Tom&lowbar;McFadden&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Tom McFadden" width&equals;"200" height&equals;"150" &sol;>Award-winning Stanford &lpar;USA&rpar; science rapper and biologist&comma; Tom McFadden aka The Rhymebosome makes a return to this year&&num;8217&semi;s eighth New Zealand International Science Festival after his debut in 2010&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>As part of the festival&&num;8217&semi;s science idol competition Tom will be visiting and performing at schools with a New Zealand tour in Auckland&comma; Wellington&comma; Christchurch&comma; and Dunedin from 21-30 May 2012&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Tom performs rap music to help communicate scientific concepts to children and senior students&period; Courtesy of the US Embassy&comma; Tom will be visiting primary and intermediate schools working with students to get them to turn science into rap in keeping with the festival theme &&num;8216&semi;what makes us tick&quest;&&num;8217&semi;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The festival will culminate with a science idol rap competition with the winner coming to Dunedin to professionally record their audio in the world class recording console at the University of Otago&&num;8217&semi;s Albany Street studio&period; The winner will also shoot a music video and perform live with Tom&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Tom says he can&&num;8217&semi;t wait to commence his New Zealand tour and is looking forward to bringing a new set of songs and a higher profile competition to students around the country&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;In 2010&comma; I was lucky to be able to share my enthusiasm for biology and hip hop with Dunedinites&period; But I know there&&num;8217&semi;s a lot of talent and excitement across New Zealand&period; By spreading the word far and wide this year I think we&&num;8217&semi;re going to be able to take the integration of science and music to the next level&period; I can&&num;8217&semi;t wait to see what they come up with&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Festival director Chris Green says Tom is a huge asset to the festival and thanks the US Embassy for supporting Tom&&num;8217&semi;s tour and the science idol competition this year&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We had an amazing response to Tom&&num;8217&semi;s school performances in Otago in 2010&period; The 2010 science idol competition was such as success&comma; we decided to extend the competition nationally and give students the opportunity to get creative with science&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;It is essential that we make science accessible and interesting for students&comma;&&num;8221&semi; said U&period;S&period; Ambassador David Huebner&comma; &&num;8220&semi;so it&&num;8217&semi;s great to know people like Tom are out there working to spark a love of science in kids at an early age&period; Tom&&num;8217&semi;s crossover performances are not only a big hit in the classroom&comma; but also with his academic colleagues – he was awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to study and teach in New Zealand&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Since January 2011&comma; Tom has been living and studying in Dunedin&comma; at the University of Otago&comma; completing a master of science communication&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Details regarding festival ticket sales and other visiting experts are yet to be announced&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The 2012 New Zealand International Science Festival is sponsored by two major funding partners&comma; the University of Otago and the Dunedin City Council&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Visit www&period;scifest&period;org&period;nz or UK Embassy http&colon;&sol;&sol;newzealand&period;usembassy&period;gov for more information&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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