(Wikipedia.)

Do you ever look upon a gaggle of teenagers crowding up a subway car and marvel at the unlocked potential of youth? Do you wonder whether the acne-plagued youngster standing before you grow up to be a butcher, or baker or technology maker? Or alternatively, a platinum-selling rapper, or a web entrepreneur who tells Cosmo that his perfect date would end with some lovely lady eating sushi off his penis?

Or, you know, a scientist?

That last possibility was idea behind the launch last night of "a groundbreaking urban science hip-hop initiative" at Columbia Teacher's College, in which Wu-Tang Clan stalwart GZA, Columbia professor Christopher Emdin and the guys from Rap Genius are teaming up to promote science education in 10 New York City public schools.

The concept: Students write science-related rap lyrics, then battle it out with their classmates; Kid in schools that typically perform poorly in science will better engage with the subject.

"I am here not as a teacher, nor expert, not genius, but I'm here as a science enthusiast who wants to inspire New York City public high school students to get excited about biology, chemistry and physics," GZA said, according to DNAInfo, which covered the launch.

Also: "Everything we see around us: the sun, the moon, the stars, the millions of worlds that astound us," he rapped. "The universe in size is hard to fathom. It was composed in a region small as a single atom."

We hope it works.