James Kakalios runs a unique physics class: There's not a pulley or lever in sight.

Instead, the University of Minnesota professor talks about how he uses superheroes to engage students. At the AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Kakalios spoke at a symposium entitled "Using Pop-Culture Icons To Slip Science into the Mainstream."

The symposium also featured Lawrence Krauss of Arizona State University discussing the physics of Star Trek and E. Paul Zehr of the University of Victoria in British Columbia exploring whether Batman and Iron Man are instructive on the field of neuroscience.