TEIGNMOUTH composer David Haines is believed to be the first songwriter in residence at a major American science festival.

The accolade was bestowed by the Cambridge Science Festival in Massachusetts, and Mr Haines has met prominent scientists to research suitable songs.

'It is my dream job – to have the opportunity to chat with some of the world's leading scientists about their work, and do their best to interpret it into a medium which makes it accessible to all – songs that are lyrical and catchy, yet have real scientific content that will leave both performer and listener informed and enthused,' said.

'What strikes me about the scientists I have met so far is the overwhelming passion they have for their subject. The old stereotype of a dry, dull academic is the complete opposite to what I have found.

'These people are full of energy and vitality, and are excited by the chance to get their message out to an audience that may not otherwise hear it.'

In a separate, but associated, programme, Mr Haines is working in all the elementary schools in Cambridge, delivering the experience of collaborative songwriting, mainly on science topics, to hundreds of children.

Dozens of the songs will be included in the list of 100 science songs, that the public will be able to choose from, when Mr Haines and his friends perform as a 'live jukebox' at the science festival carnival tomorrow.

Mr Haines is pictured with Colleen Cavanagh, a marine microbiologist who studies life around deep ocean thermal currents.