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Robot biomimicry

This 9 minute video segment from Catalyst shows how inspiration from the world of animals has helped in the mechanical design of robots and adhesive materials.

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The Circulatory System: Heart animation

This resource allows students to 'resuscitate' a patient by dragging and dropping the main parts of the heart to their correct position. Incorrect positioning results in death! When organs are correctly positioned, the patient commences breathing and the heart beating and the structures are labelled. Note this resource ...

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Engineering is not just for maths geniuses!

You don't need to be a big maths brain to become an engineer. Listen as Ashwini Ranjithabalan from Women in Engineering and IT at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) describes how her understanding of maths grew from her interest in engineering. Sometimes understanding how maths can provide solutions to problems in ...

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Unplugged Activity: Computational Thinking

This video introduces one of code.org's unplugged activities. It discusses a lesson on Computational Thinking, designed to show you how to take a big difficult problem and turn it into several simpler problems. The goal of the lesson is for a group of students to write a set of instructions for another group of students ...

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Ever seen robots play sumo?

Watch this clip to see sumo robots in action! UNSW student and Robogals member Jonathan Loong explains how the game works. How do the robots know when to turn around and move back into the ring?

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Different types of telescopes

You can find both refracting and reflecting telescopes at Sydney Observatory. How are they different in the way they work and look? What can you find in nature that is like a telescope? Which type of telescope is it like?

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Harvesting and cooking murnong

Murnong is an edible Australian native plant that was prolific in south-eastern Australia. Which part of the murnong is eaten? Why was it so abundant in certain parts of Victoria? Watch Aunty Julie to learn how murnong is harvested and cooked.

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Catalyst: Can you solve the 'travelling salesman problem'?

Imagine you are a salesperson having to travel between multiple locations. How would you achieve this in the quickest way possible? This is a problem that has stumped mathematicians for decades, and there is even a prize for anyone who can come up with an algorithm to solve it. In this video, three methods are used to try ...

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Imagining other uses for robotics technology

It's cool to program robots to play football, but there are many more useful applications for programming robots to react to what they are seeing. What are some of the examples David McKinnon gives? Can you think of some more examples?

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Pedigree Dogs

This 12 minute video segment from Catalyst demonstrates how scientific knowledge can improve the well-being of our domestic pets and change public opinion. This show exemplifies the benefits of the application of our understanding of genetics and evolution.

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Breathing and Respiration: animation

This resource allows students to 'resuscitate' a patient by dragging and dropping the main structures involved in breathing into the correct position. Incorrect positioning results in death! When organs are correctly positioned, the patient commences breathing and the structures are labelled.

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Pivots and Levers: animation

Students use this resource consisting of one page with a diagram of a lever whose length can be varied. A weight is then applied to the lever and students can see whether the force was sufficient to lift a crate. This demonstrates that forces can cause a lever to turn about a pivot and that the turning effect of a lever ...

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ACMF: Farm visit

This resource is a web page providing information about commercial chicken meat farming in Australia. It explains that meat chickens are not raised in cages but are kept in large barns, and provides a link to further information on the different farming systems used in growing meat chickens. The resource features a film ...

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Ladybirds

This program encourages people to observe and identify ladybirds in their own backyard. There is the potential to discover a new species or identify an introduced and harmful member of this group of insects.

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Kristian Lang

This 5 minute video segment from Catalyst promotes discussion about the nature and processes of science. Kristian Lang is a science-mad primary school student who won 1st prize in an International Science Film Festival competing against students of all ages right up to university level. He conveys an infectious passion ...

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What are IP addresses?

Meet Vint Cerf, the co-creator of the internet! In this clip, Vint and software engineer Paola Mejia explore the way computer networks talk to each other. Find out what an IP address is and why it's similar to a street address. What's the domain name system? And how does your computer find out the IP address of a website ...

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What makes the internet run reliably?

Watch this clip to see software engineer Lynn Root and co-creator of the internet Vint Cerf explain what keeps the internet running reliably. When information is sent on the internet, it is broken down into packets that are able to take a number of routes to get from one computer to another. Why might this be important? ...

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The innovator

This is a short animated film highlights the versatility of wool as a natural fibre. The wordless film journeys through the ages and offers a unique view on how wool has been used - and continues - to clothe humans. The video provides an humourous stimulus resource to highlight the range of properties of wool.

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How is your personal information kept secret on the internet?

Lots of private data is exchanged over the internet. What are some examples? As Mia Epner explains, cryptography allows for the secure transfer of data online. How does encryption work? And what is a key? Today information is encrypted using 256 bit keys. This keeps information safe because it means there are way too many ...

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Design processes for building robots

If you had to build a robot, where would you start? A good place to start is by brainstorming ideas with others. Think about your objectives, then think of other factors like the resources and the time you have available to you. Next, get some pen and paper and start drawing what you think your robot should look like based ...