2010 Iron Science Championships at the University of Calgary

It’s got all the excitement of Iron Chef, the reality-TV show that pits chefs against each other in a cooking competition with a secret ingredient. However, this TV-inspired science spinoff has a twist: it’s meant to educate, not just entertain.

This month, teams of teachers from across Canada will converge at the University of Calgary for the 2010 Iron Science Championships. Each team must use candy — this year’s “secret ingredient” — in a six-minute show that demonstrates a scientific concept in an entertaining way. All the while, hundreds of students will cheer each team on, both in person and via live streaming video on the Discovery Channel Canada’s website on March 12. And you thought science wasn’t cool.