Science

March 12, 2010

Clone Rangers of British Columbia win Iron Science Teacher title

Iron Science teams. Photo by Jennifer Sowa

Fireballs, shooting flames and soft-drink fizz spraying teachers in the face. Canada’s wildest and wackiest science teachers battled it out at the University of Calgary today for the national Iron Science Teacher title. Cheering them on was a live audience of hundreds of Calgary students and viewers across the country via a live webcast made possible through a partnership with Discovery Channel.

Iron Science Teacher is a national competition that celebrates innovation in science teaching. Teams perform six-minute shows that teach scientific concepts. They’re judged on creativity and how well they entertain and engage the audience. This year, teachers had to incorporate candy into their shows.

The winners of Iron Science Teacher 2010 were the Clone Rangers from H.J. Cambie Secondary School in Richmond, British Columbia. The team takes home a $5,000 cash prize—half for the teachers on the team and half for the school to enhance science education. The Clone Rangers performed a skit in which the Sugar Brothers, Glucose and Dextrose, had to defeat the villain, Count Candy.

“We wanted kids to go away with the idea that science is fun. You can learn and enjoy yourself at the same time,” said Brenton Driscoll, one of the Clone Rangers.

The runners-up were the Mole Men from Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa. The other finalists were: the Good Lookin’ Cookin’ Chemists from Calgary; the Alpha Wild from Balgonie, Saskatchewan; and Monkey vs. Gravity from Moncton, New Brunswick.

Iron Science Teacher parodies the popular TV series Iron Chef. The concept originated at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Sponsors of Iron Science Teacher include Engineers Canada, Devon Canada Corporation and NSERC PromoScience. University of Calgary partners include the Schulich School of Engineering and the Faculties of Science and Education.