Questions for discussionInfluencer Ads

1. Retell the BTN Influencer Ads story using your own words.2. Give an example of how social media can influence people to buy things.3. What type of people do businesses use to try and sell their products?4. Give an example of when it might not be obvious when a business is advertising through

social media.5. How can ads on social media be dangerous to our health?6. How are tobacco companies using social media to promote their products?7. What is an influencer?8. Advertising cigarettes in Australia is illegal. True or false?9. How did this story make you feel?10. How has your thinking changed since watching the BTN story?

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

Ocean Rubbish Clean-Up1. Discuss the BTN story with another student. Record the main points of your discussion.2. Complete this sentence. The rubbish found in the Pacific Ocean is also known as the Great

__________ Patch. 3. Who is Bolan Slat?4. When did Bolan start thinking of ways to help reduce ocean rubbish?5. How many pieces of plastic do Aussies throw away each year?6. How is ocean rubbish impacting on marine life?7. Describe how Bolan’s invention works. 8. What powers the giant snake-like invention? 9. How many ‘giant snakes’ will they use to collect rubbish in the Pacific Ocean by 2020?10. What do you understand more clearly since watching the BTN story?

Check out the Ocean Rubbish Clean-Up resource on the Teachers page.

Sign Language Day1. Summarise the BTN Sign Language Day story.2. What is Auslan?3. What does Auslan stand for?4. How do people communicate using Auslan?

a. Using hand movementsb. Using body movementsc. Using facial expressionsd. All of the above

5. Auslan is used in Australia and Britain. True or false?6. When did Australia start using Auslan?

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Episode 2718th September 2018

7. When was the first Auslan dictionary published?8. Why do community groups think it’s great that more people are learning Auslan?9. Name one of the words or phrases that Bradley teaches in the BTN story. Practise it in

pairs. 10. What did you learn watching the BTN story?

Check out the Sign Language Day resource on the Teachers page.

Holograms in STEAM1. What did the BTN story explain?2. Kaartic and Sahib use lasers and mirrors to make their 3D display. True or false?3. How many times a second does the screen go up and down to make the display?

a. 3 times per secondb. 30 times per second c. 300 times per second

4. Their creation is not technically a hologram. What do they call it?5. How can the new technology be used?6. How did a school recently use the technology? Describe. 7. What three words would you use to describe this technology?8. What was surprising about this story?9. Illustrate an aspect of the Holograms in STEAM story. 10. What did you like about the BTN Holograms in STEAM story?

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

World Skipping Comp1. Discuss the Mega Skate Ramp story with another student.2. Where did Abbey go to compete in the World skipping Championships? Find using Google

Maps. 3. What is the name of Abbey’s skipping team?4. How often does Abbey practise?5. How does Abbey prepare on competition morning? 6. What are they judged on at the world championships?

a. Musicb. Tricksc. Speedd. All of the above

7. What happens if their routines go longer than 1 minute and 15 seconds?8. How can teams increase their scores? 9. What happens when they make mistakes?10. What questions do you have after watching the BTN

story?

Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.

©ABC 2018

Teacher Resource

Ocean Rubbish Clean-up

1. Discuss the BTN story with another student. Record the main points of your discussion.

2. Complete this sentence. The rubbish found in the Pacific Ocean is also known as the Great __________ Patch.

3. Who is Boyan Slat?4. When did Boyan start thinking of ways to help reduce ocean rubbish?5. How many pieces of plastic do Aussies throw away each year?6. How is ocean rubbish impacting on marine life?7. Describe how Boyan’s invention works. 8. What powers the giant snake-like invention? 9. How many ‘giant snakes’ will they use to collect rubbish in the Pacific

Ocean by 2020?10. What do you understand more clearly since watching the BTN story?

Class DiscussionHold a class discussion about the issues raised in the BTN Ocean Rubbish Clean-up story. Use the following questions to help guide discussion:

What do you know about ocean rubbish? How does rubbish get into the ocean? Why is ocean rubbish a problem? What impact does ocean rubbish have on marine life?

KWLH Record what students know about ocean rubbish and its impact on people, animals and the environment on a mind map. What questions do they have about what they have learnt in the BTN story? The following KWLH organiser provides students with a framework to explore their knowledge on this topic and consider what they would like to know and learn.

What do I know?

What do I want to know?

What have I learnt?

How will I find out?

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Episode 2718th September 2018

Students will investigate the impact that ocean pollution has on people, animals and the environment. Students will explore how much plastic has infiltrated our lives by conducting a survey and diary.

HASS – Year 4The use and management of natural resources and waste, and the different views on how to do this sustainably.

Reflect on learning to propose actions in response to an issue or challenge and consider possible effects of proposed actions.

HASS – Years 5 & 6Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challenges.

HASS – Year 7Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, taking into account different perspectives, and describe the expected effects.

Collaborate to generate alternatives in response to an issue or challenge and compare the potential costs and benefits of each.

Science – Years 5 & 6Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal and community decisions.

Topics of inquiryStudents will determine a focus for their ocean rubbish inquiry within an area of interest, for example, make a prediction or develop a key research question.

Why should we protect our oceans? Write a persuasive piece of writing explaining your reasons. What might happen if we don’t look at the ocean pollution problem? What will our oceans look like in

30 years’ time? Make some predictions. How can individuals make a difference and help reduce ocean pollution? Look at the way individuals

like Charles Moore and Boyan Slat have increased awareness about the issue. Think about the responsibility of individuals, communities and the government. Think of ways you can make a difference at home and at school.

What happens to the plastic you throw away? Explore the journey of plastic into our oceans. Watch this TED-Ed video to find out what really happens to the plastic you throw away.

How can we convince people that this is a serious problem? Think of creative ways to raise awareness about the issue of ocean rubbish.

Six Hat ThinkingAs a class, use Edward De Bono’s Six Hat Thinking to explore ocean rubbish. Make your own coloured hat cut-outs and place on the floor.

Students will take it in turns answering questions in relation to what they already know about the issue, what they have learned from the BTN Ocean Rubbish Clean-up story and what they want to learn further about the topic.

Download this worksheet for students to respond to a range of questions about ocean rubbish.

ReflectionAfter this activity, ask students to reflect on what they have learnt. Students can include details about how their thinking on this issue has changed and why they think we should act.

CreativityIn small groups, students will brainstorm innovative ways to clean up the rubbish found in our oceans. Encourage creativity during this activity and give students the time to explore their thinking and illustrate their ideas. Students will then share their ideas with the class, taking it in turns explaining how their creations will help reduce the amount of rubbish in our oceans. Encourage the class to ask questions about the other groups’ creations and then reflect on their own learning.

What was challenging about this activity? What did you enjoy about this activity?

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Visual literacyFind a range of photographs online which show the impact of ocean rubbish. Examine the photograph/s and respond to the following:

Write a short paragraph describing what you see in the photograph or artwork.

What does the image tell you about ocean rubbish?

How does the image make you feel? Create a caption for each image.

Further investigation Imagine you are a scientist examining the

impact of ocean rubbish. Explain using scientific words and terms why we have ocean pollution and its impact on marine life. In your description include one or more of the following terms: marine life, ocean currents, ecosystem, great garbage patch, plastic pollution, gyre.

Could ocean pollution have been avoided? Research the different ways people are preventing plastic pollution.

How often do you use plastic? Students will get a snapshot of how often they use products that contain plastic. Explain to students that plastic is used in many products from computers to pens and a pencil case. It’s in our clothes, food packaging, hand-held devices, cars, mattresses, and TV screens.

Ask students to create and complete their own class survey about their daily plastic consumption. Below are some example survey questions:

What do you use that contains plastic? Which items are single use plastics?

Students will keep a diary to help them track how much plastic they use and then think about how they can reduce the amount of plastic they consume. Below are some guidelines for keeping a diary:

Choose an average time of the day, for example, when you are making breakfast in the morning or during your lunch hour at school (eating lunch and playing in the school yard).

Keep a track of the plastic items you use over a 1-hour period. Record how long you use the item for and if it is a single use plastic. Include every item that contains plastic, even if you use or touch it more than once. Take photos of the items that you record as part of your documentation.

Add up the total number of times you used/touched plastic over 1 hour. What was surprising about your results? Compare your results with your classmates.

Think of ways that you can reduce the amount of plastic you use, especially single use plastic. List some alternatives.

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Image Example - Link

Aussie kids’ campaignsSee below for a collection of BTN stories which focus on kids campaigning to reduce plastic pollution. After watching any one of the BTN videos ask students to respond to the discussion questions which can be found on the story page. Teacher resources are also provided for some of these stories.

Video Video

Video Resource PDF Video Resource PDF

Campaign Students will design a public education campaign to raise awareness about ocean rubbish and the damage it is doing to the ocean ecosystem. Students will need to think about their campaign’s aim, target audience and the value of raising awareness in their school community. Students can use Canva to design a poster which can be put up around their school and the wider community.

ABC News – Giant rubbish collection device deployed to clean up huge island of floating plastic garbage in Pacific Oceanhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-09/giant-rubbish-collector-sent-to-clean-up-pacific-garbage-patch/10219006

BTN – Plastic Ocean Campaignerhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4813203.htm

BTN – Ocean Rubbishhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4301070.htm

BTN – Plastic Pollution Problemshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4853670.htm

©ABC 2018

BTN – Microplastic Oceanshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4425888.htm

The Ocean Clean-up – Technologyhttps://www.theoceancleanup.com/technology/

The Ocean Clean-up – The Great Pacific Garbage Patchhttps://www.theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/

©ABC 2018

Do the BTN End of Term Quiz

Teacher Resource

Sign Language Day

1. Summarise the BTN Sign Language Day story.2. What is Auslan?3. What does Auslan stand for?4. How do people communicate using Auslan?

a. Using hand movementsb. Using body movementsc. Using facial expressionsd. All of the above

5. Auslan is used in Australia and Britain. True or false?6. When did Australia start using Auslan?7. When was the first Auslan dictionary published?8. Why do community groups think it’s great that more people are

learning Auslan?9. Name one of the words or phrases that Bradley teaches in the BTN

story. Practise it in pairs. 10. What did you learn watching the BTN story?

What do you see, think and wonder?After watching the BTN Sign Language Day story, respond to the following questions:

- What did you SEE in this video?- What do you THINK about what you saw in this video?- What did you LEARN from this story?- What was SURPRISING about this story?

Class Discussion Discuss the BTN Sign Language Day story as a class, using the following questions to guide the discussion.

How do hearing impaired people communicate? What is Auslan? How did you feel after watching the story? What surprised you about the story? List some facts that you learnt from this story? Should sign language be taught in all schools? Why or why not?

©ABC 2018

Episode 2718th September 2018

Students will investigate ways we communicate and learn to fingerspell using Auslan.

Health and PE – Years 3 & 4Describe how respect, empathy and valuing diversity can positively influence relationships.

Health and PE – Years 5 & 6Investigate community resources and strategies to seek help about health, safety and wellbeing.

Identify how valuing diversity positively influences the wellbeing of the community.

Learn the Auslan alphabetStudents will learn to fingerspell using the Auslan alphabet. Fingerspelling is an important part of Auslan. Words are spelt letter by letter using both hands. It is mainly used to spell proper nouns such as names of people or places. Visit the Auslan Signbank for tips on finger spelling.

Test your classmates by finger spelling some simple and short words. Learn some everyday phrases in Auslan, for example:

o Hello, my name is...o Good morningo Pleaseo Thank you

Practise your fingerspelling with randomly generated words. What was challenging about this activity? What did you enjoy?

Students can have a go at learning some basic words in Auslan. Watch the Can: Do Classroom video for examples of words to learn.

©ABC 2018

Learn about the earStudents watch the How we hear video to learn how sound waves travel into the ear and are interpreted as meaningful sounds by the brain. Ask students to reflect on the following questions:

What three important facts did you learn watching the video?

What was the most surprising thing you learnt?

What do you understand more clearly since watching the video?

Students can test their knowledge of the ear. Match the parts of the ear to the diagram below. 1. Cochlear, 2. Outer ear, 3. Ear bones, 4. Eardrum, 5. Nerve, 6. Sound vibrations, 7. Ear canal

Students watch the BTN Hearing Impaired story then respond to the questions below.

1. How long has Tanya been deaf?2. What is Tanya’s level of hearing loss?3. How does she communicate with her friends?4. What subject does Tanya like at school?5. How does she work out which notes she’s playing?6. Which notes vibrate more? Low notes or high

notes?7. What has Tanya done with the help of her teacher?

©ABC 2018

The BTN Signing the News story explains how a group of hearing impaired students have created their own special news service. Students watch the story then respond to the following questions.

1. How do the kids in the BTN story read the news?2. What is Australian sign language called?3. Auslan is recognised as an official language in

Australia. True or false?4. Which students learn sign language at Klemzig

Primary School?5. Where might you see Auslan interpreters?6. Why did the kids set up the newsroom at their

school?7. What are the benefits of having a news service at the

school?

Students watch the BTN Signing Class story then respond to the questions below.

1. What is Australian sign language called?2. When was it first recognised as an official language

by the Federal Government?3. Why did Sasha move to the city?4. Why is it important for all students at the school to

learn sign language?5. Why are facial expressions important when using

sign language?

Parts of the ear - Answers

BTN- Hearing Impaired http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4581038.htm

BTN – Signing the News http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4309152.htm

BTN – Signing Classhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3469100.htm

Auslan Signbank – Finger spellinghttp://www.auslan.org.au/spell/twohanded.html

©ABC 2018

BTN: Episode 27 Transcript 18/9/18Hey, welcome to BTN, I’m Amelia. Coming up today.

Are cigarette companies using social media to get people smoking again?

How this huge pipe is aiming to clean up one of the most polluted parts of the ocean.

And Bradley and Bianca give us all a crash course in signing for International Sign Language Day.

Warm up your hands for that, but first up let's check on the biggest news headlines from this week. Here's Matt.

This Week in News

Two deadly storms hit different parts of the world over the weekend.

Typhoon Manghut caused devastation in the Philippines before it moved on to Southern China where more than two million people had to evacuate.

In Hong Kong, people filmed cranes coming down in the strong winds and flooding caused by the heavy rain.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Florence hit the East Coast of the US. In North Carolina, whole streets have disappeared under water.

WOMAN: This is my brother's house. They've lost everything in the back. My niece's swing is over in the river hanging out.

So far more than 900 people have had to be rescued from floodwaters and there's a risk of more flooding to come.

Authorities are warning people to be extra careful eating strawberries. Last week needles were discovered in a punnet in Queensland.

More strawberries have been found with needles inside them since then.

It's pretty scary and authorities are trying to work out why it's happened. But, in the meantime, supermarkets have pulled affected brands from shelves.

The International Whaling Commission has decided to keep its ban on hunting whales. Japan was trying to make changes to the ban which has been in place since the 80s.

©ABC 2018

It said whalers should be allowed to hunt certain species if they're not endangered and limited numbers are taken. But other countries, including Australia, argued against the changes.

And Australia's best cosplayers have been strutting their stuff at a national competition in Perth. They were judged on their craftmanship, their accuracy and their performances.

The winners were a couple from Perth who actually met through cosplay. Awwww. Influencer AdsReporter: Amelia Moseley

INTRO: Okay. Back in the 70s, Australia took a big step in the fight against smoking by banning companies from advertising it. But now, it's back and authorities can't really do anything about it. A big study has found that cigarette brands have started advertising within social media posts of the rich and popular. Here's more.

Whether it's the newest beauty trend, the next big food thing, or the latest in street fashion, social media seems to have it all. But while it's easy to think all those posts just exist for funsies, a lot of it is actually big business.

Studies show people can be influenced into buying something just by seeing someone who seems fashionable, fit, alternative, cool, knowledgeable, talented or just plain famous wear it, use it, or say how completely amazingly awesome it is. And that's why businesses like to use celebrities and social media stars to feature their stuff.

But it's not always obvious when something is an ad. It might just be a product deliberately placed in a pretty photo, like this, this, or this. But what happens when that product is actually really dangerous to your health and illegal to advertise in any other way? Well, that's an issue that's got many anti-smoking organisations seriously worried right now.

They carried out a study in the US and discovered that big tobacco companies are asking some of the most insta-worthy influencers to subtly promote cigarettes in their posts. They found evidence of campaigns to target people, especially young people, in at least 40 different countries including Australia. The tobacco companies paid the influencers money, gave them gifts, or invitations to exclusive parties.

And the posts? Well, the study showed they got at least 25 billion views and clicks all around the world. That's some serious influence. But advertising cigarettes is illegal in Australia and has been since the 1970s. Companies can be fined up to $126,000 and an individual person, up to $25,000. The only thing that's allowed here are ads against smoking.

AMELIA, REPORTER: But social media is a bit of a loophole to those advertising laws, because the stuff we're seeing isn't all originating in Australia. It's from all over the place, and that can make it pretty tough to track.

Because of that, experts say when you're over 13 and scrolling through your feed, just keep in mind that these guys are called influencers for a reason. They have a lot of it and many are willing to sell it.

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GIRL: Whenever I see things that people are wearing, I always think "I want that."

GIRL: There’s a lot of models I think on it as well, which can influence younger users…teenagers and stuff, to aspire to be like them.

GIRL: I think a lot of people depend heavily on social media these days, especially people my age so I think that it does influence what we buy, what we look up to, what we do in our lives more than we'd like to admit.

Ocean Rubbish Clean-UpReporter: Matt Holbrook

INTRO: Next up. A massive project is now underway to start cleaning up the Pacific Ocean. A giant tube is being towed out to a giant patch of garbage where around 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic have gathered together. It’s a big problem to tackle, but here’s how it’ll work.

If you close your eyes and squint a bit, you could pretend this 600-metre-long tube is some kind of giant ocean snake. It's not, though. It's a device with a very special mission to catch the ocean's rubbish, or at least some of it. It's being towed out to a part of the Pacific Ocean known as the Great Garbage Patch. The water currents here happen to make lots of plastic rubbish drift together, and I mean lots. An area almost the size of Queensland.

Until now, it's been too difficult, too big, and too expensive to do much about it. That was until this guy came along, Boyan Slat. This snake thing was his idea, and it all started when he was still at school.

BOYAN SLAT, OCEAN CLEANUP: I realised, back in high school, there might be an alternative.

For a school project he designed a system of floating barriers that would be up to 100 kilometres long. They’d sit in the path of ocean currents, in a v-shape, to capture and funnel any floating plastic. Then these giant towers would suck it all up.

BOYAN SLAT, OCEAN CLEANUP: Instead of going after the plastics, you could simply wait for the plastic to come to you.

We've spent a lot of time telling you about plastic pollution on BTN.

JACK: Yup a recent study found that Aussies discard more than 9 billion pieces of plastic every year. Unlike paper or cardboard, plastic takes a really, really long time to break down.

MEG: I've come to realise that our precious marine life are getting killed by the so called innocent plastic bag.

But finding solutions hasn't been easy, and with so much plastic already in our oceans, killing our marine life, Boyan and his organisation, Ocean Cleanup, are hopeful they can tackle the problem one giant snake at a time.

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BOYAN SLAT, OCEAN CLEANUP: This is pretty incredible. I mean something that we've been working towards for five years and just having seen it from the early conceptual sketches to now the first unit actually going through the Golden Gates (bridge) and heading to the garbage patch is pretty incredible.

It’s aiming to trap some of the 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic that scientists estimate are swirling around here while still letting marine life safely swim beneath it.

It's fitted with solar powered lights, cameras, sensors and satellite antennas. And the design will make it easy for boats to fish out the collected plastic every few months and transport it to dry land where it will be recycled.

Boyan is now 24, and despite the years of work that've gone in to this, he says the system will still get more tweaks in the coming months. The hope is to take it even further, by letting 60 of these giant snakes loose on the Pacific Ocean by 2020. That's a lot of hungry snakes who surely won't be going hungry. But hopefully they do at some point.

Quiz

What is the most common item of rubbish found in the ocean? Is it:

Cigarette butts

Plastic bags, or

Straws

The answer is - Cigarette butts

Sign Language DayReporter: Jack Evans

INTRO: Next week is the International Day of Sign Language and Australia's National Week of Deaf People. Both events aim to raise awareness about the importance of sign languages. So, we thought we'd find out a bit more about them from siblings who use them every day.

BRADLEY: Hi BTN, my name is Bradley and this is my sister Bianca.

BIANCA: You might have noticed we're communicating a little differently to what you're probably used to.

BRADLEY: Both my sister and I are deaf, so we use Auslan to communicate. REPORTER: Just like Bianca and Bradley, there are thousands of Aussies affected by hearing loss who use Auslan every day.

BIANCA: Like at school, at home, playing with my friends.

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BRADLEY: I always communicate with my friends at school every day and we have an iPad for skype.

Auslan stands for Australian Sign Language. It uses hand and body movements as well as facial expressions to make up different words and different phrases. Oh, and you might have already guessed it's unique to Australia. Yup, just like spoken languages, sign languages differ from country to country. And they've actually been around for thousands of years. Auslan is a mix of Irish and British sign languages that were brought here in the early 1800s. Over the years it was adapted and changed and about 20 years ago the first Auslan dictionary was published and it was recognised as an official language. Just like any other language picking it up takes a lot of time and practise. But, these guys say it’s an awesome skill to learn.

BRADLEY: So, like we do Auslan one on one at home sometimes. So, we can communicate with my sisters and we can practise at home with them as well.

Today it's even taught in some schools around Australia as a second language. Community groups reckon it's really great that more people are picking it up. Because it means they can communicate with people who are deaf or hearing impaired. Even Santa is giving it a go.

DEBBIE KENNEWELL, DEAF CAN DO: Yeah there's definitely a huge benefit so they can still help a deaf person to participate in their community in everyday life, like you were saying going to your grocery store and being able to have basic communication and basic conversation is a huge thing for them.

BRADLEY: A lot of people can't sign, which makes it hard to get along with each other.

And here are some phrases you can start practising right now.

BRADLEY: How are you?

BIANCA: Nice to meet you.

BRADLEY: Please - Thank you

BIANCA: See you later.

Did You Know?

Toddlers can learn to sign at around the same age as they can learn to speak. By two, kids will usually understand two-word signs and by five, they can understand basic sign language grammar.

Podcast Promo

BTN has a brand-new podcast. We’re bringing you the hard-hitting, quirky and just plain weird news stories of the day. There’s a new episode out every weekday. You can get it as a podcast, on the BTN website, and if you’ve got one, on your smart speaker.

©ABC 2018

Holograms in STEAMReporter: Matt Holbrook

INTRO: Next up today. It's usually the stuff of futuristic sci-fi movies but three-dimensional holograms are starting to become reality. We caught up with some high school kids who are harnessing the power of this speccy technology to bring their projects to life.

STAR WARS: This is our most desperate hour. Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope.

If I've learned anything from Hollywood, it's that holograms are really cool. And I want one.

Unfortunately, they've never quite made the transition from the silver screen to actually existing in real life. It turns out making a workable hologram is incredibly difficult. But people are definitely trying. And recently, these guys got their hands on something that's pretty close.

SAHIB: I'm Sahib.

KAARTIC: I'm Kaartic.

SAHIB: And we used this volumetric display to basically model this car into a more digital and interactive way.

OK, so it's not really a hologram. That's why they call it a volumetric display. But it's an interesting step in that direction. And this school decided to use it as part of their presentation for the F1 in Schools competition, which is all about designing and racing your own mini F1 car.

SAHIB: It's probably the closest thing we have to a hologram without the use of lasers or any mirrors. It's basically a screen going up and down 30 times a second creating a visual aspect of a 3D display.

KAARTIC: It produces a lot of images per second. It's so quick that we can't recognise it, and that’s why it looks like as if it's a 3D moving picture or animation, and that's what helps us to really detail the components of our car and really express what our car is made out of.

Now, they're passing on some of what they've learned to one of their school's newer teams.

TEAM: We are Lickety Split.

They're currently looking at different ways of using the technology to explore and demonstrate their car.

KAARTIC: Do you want me to show you how it works?

And they say there are heaps of possibilities.

SAHIB: Well, it’s actually got a lot of different functions, you can map out, you can use graphs, you can do maths in it if you really want to.

©ABC 2018

KAARTIC: You can design anything, and you can display anything…of whatever your design is, on this machine so it really doesn’t have any limitations.SAHIB: For biology, you can really get down into the nits and grits of how the human body works. This display’s capable of producing images so clear, and to such good detail, that you can display the whole human skeletal system in a very precise manner.

MADDY: It is something amazing and innovative and creative and new.

So, while they've got a lot of work to do on their car and deciding the best way they can show it off, they're pretty confident this technology will help them go far.

MADDY: They want new things, innovative things, things they haven't seen before so that's what we're trying to push for to discover and create to do for our team.

Sport

It was a nail-biting weekend in the NRL semi-finals. Both games were won by just 1 point. The Rabbitohs knocked off the Dragons 13-12 to set up a showdown with minor premiers the Roosters in the Prelims.

Meanwhile, the Cronulla Sharks squeezed past the Panthers 21-20 and will face off against Melbourne Storm for a spot in the GF.

And in the Women's comp, the Broncos are on top of the table after comfortably beating the Roosters 14-4. With just 1 round to go until the top two teams face off in the Grand Final.

In the AFL, The Dees are just one game away from their first Grand Final in almost 20 years. They beat the Hawks by 33 points, so they're through to the final 4. They'll face the West Coast Eagles in Perth on Saturday.

In the weekend's other semi-final, Collingwood fought off a comeback by GWS, to set up a huge Prelim on Friday night against flag favourites the Richmond Tigers. Fans started lining up to buy tickets before the semi-final was even finished.

SUPPORTER: Both clubs together you've got 180,000 members, so we don't want to miss out on going to the prelim.

SUPPORTER: After the crashes with Ticketek we might be safer to come down here and get tickets and wait than try to get them online.

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge has become the fastest marathon runner on earth. He broke the world record in Berlin on the weekend running 42 kilometres in two hours one minute 39 seconds.

Ouch. Unsurprisingly, he's pretty stoked.

And finally, is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a human being in a wingsuit.

©ABC 2018

In China over the weekend, 16 thrill seekers launched themselves off Tianmenshan Mountain and manoeuvred their way through a series of targets.

I knew that my spirit animal was there for me and I knew that it would be okay.

A bit of a weird thing to say but he did just do something pretty risky.

World Skipping CompRookie Reporter: Abbey

INTRO: Finally, today. Skipping is a pretty fun activity but did you know it can also be a competitive sport? A group of Aussie students recently travelled to the World Skipping Championships in China and team member Abbey, recorded a video diary to fill us in on what it was like.

ABBEY: Hi, BTN. I’m Abbey and I'm going to talk to you about competitive skipping. This is my team. We're called the Pumper Jumpers.

I started skipping because my brother did it and it sounded like heaps of fun. As a team, we practise four times a week and sometimes I practise my speed skipping at home as well.

We've been training for the World Skipping Championships in China. It's a big competition where kids from all over the world compete and it’s nearly time to fly out.

ABBEY: I'm at the airport and I'm waiting for my plane. Soon we'll be in China. I'm really excited but nervous at the same time. I'll see you when I get to China, bye.

ABBEY: We arrived in China today and so far, we've had lots of fun. We went to see lots of famous places and where I go, my skipping rope goes too.

ABBEY: Training starts tomorrow. Yay.

This is the training room. As you can see, there are lots of different countries and teams here, ready to compete. It takes a lot of hard work and practise to get good at skipping.

ABBEY: It's the competition morning and I'm just getting ready. It's going to be a fun day today. I'm excited, scared and ready for action. I'll see you on the competition floor.

The World Championships go for nine days. People are judged on all sorts of different things like music, tricks and speed.

ABBEY: There are so many judges, as you can see, and all of them are judging you. It's really confronting when they're all in front of you, but you still need to try your best.

On some days, we compete in a group, and other days, we compete individually. Our routines are choreographed to music. They have to be exactly 1 minute 15 and if we go over the time we get penalised. The routines need to include specific elements like gymnastic and power moves. Each trick is rated for its difficulty and doing harder tricks helps improve your score. Sometimes you make mistakes, but the important thing is to recover quickly and keep moving.

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ABBEY: Today is the last day of competition and we're going to have lots of fun with different countries and do lots and lots of skipping.

Before I knew it, the championships were over. I'm really happy with how we did.

ABBEY: These are our results. We went the best for our double Dutch four-person team, which is really good because we were struggling before the competition. My favourite event was the 30 second speed relay which was because I got a personal best of 83.

I think competitive skipping is lots of fun and if you want to give it a go too, grab a rope and start jumping.

Closer

And that's it for today's show. But if you want more you can go to our website straight after this and click on all the things. Thanks for watching and I'll see you after the holidays. Bye for now.

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