We're always looking out for novel ways to teach chemistry, or at least simply inspire others to learn the subject. Oort Kuiper, a science rapper who goes by the non-astronomical everyday name Jon Chase, has set out to teach science and inspire future scientists, with rap.

I realise I'm probably the last person working in STEM in the UK to have heard of this, but Oort's Science Raps site has a bunch of catchy, informative, and school-safe rhyming, all in the name of science. Two are worth particular mention.

First, his 2011 Periodic Table rap, produced for the International Year of Chemistry, and remastered by the Periodic Table of Videos team to celebrate their 50,000th subscriber:



As Oort pointed out, his video attempts to explain some of the science in the periodic table, whereas the legendary Tom Lehrer's Elements song was just a long, if witty, list.

The second, released last month, starred Oort in a paean to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM). Just like the periodic table video, it's rather catchy. It was funded by the HE-STEM project.

We'll have our very own HE-STEM-supported resources and tools for higher education students on this site very soon, but in the meantime watch and listen Oort Kuiper sing the praises of STEM...



I'm all in favour of using song or rhythm to convey ideas in education, or even just as a mnemonic technique, and hope Oort's science raps keep coming.