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新南威尔士州教育部于2026年10月14日报道，雷金特维尔公立小学举办鸭嘴兽博览日，127名西悉尼学生展示旨在保护尼皮恩河鸭嘴兽及其他野生动物的STEM原型。项目由塔龙加动物园教育团队发起，已进入第四年。本文讨论校园设计挑战如何帮助守护本地河流生境。

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Western Sydney students have shown how a school STEM project can grow into real work for local wildlife. On October 14, 2026, NSW Education reported that Regentville Public School hosted a Platypus Expo Day of ideas to protect platypus and other Nepean River animals. The central question is simple: can classroom design challenges help safeguard a river habitat that faces pollution, predators and habitat loss?

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西悉尼的学生展示了校园STEM项目如何变成保护本地野生动物的实际工作。2026年10月14日，新南威尔士州教育部报道，雷金特维尔公立小学举办了旨在保护尼皮恩河鸭嘴兽及其他动物的“鸭嘴兽博览日”。核心问题很简单：课堂里的设计挑战，能否帮助守护面临污染、捕食与栖息地丧失的河流生境？

The Expo Day marked the end of Project Platypus, a Taronga Zoo Education initiative now in its fourth year. About 127 students took part from Regentville, Mulgoa and Llandilo public schools, plus Cranebrook and Kingswood high schools. Over ten weeks they met local habitat and conservation experts and designed STEM-based prototype solutions for threats to the iconic species.

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博览日标志着“鸭嘴兽计划”的收官。该计划由塔龙加动物园教育团队发起，现已进入第四年。约127名学生参与，来自雷金特维尔、穆尔戈阿和兰迪洛等公立小学，以及克兰布鲁克与金斯伍德等高中。十周里，他们与当地栖息地和保护专家会面，并设计面向这一标志性物种所受威胁的STEM原型方案。

Some teams focused on dirty water flowing into the river. Mulgoa Public School students designed a drainage prototype that channels stormwater runoff into a filtration system. Large rubbish is picked up first; smaller pollutants — microplastics, oils and chemicals — are captured in a pit that can be emptied. They suggested a trial near bridges that cross the river.

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一些小组关注流入河流的脏水。穆尔戈阿公立小学的学生设计了一套排水原型，将暴雨径流导入过滤系统：先拦住大型垃圾，微塑料、油类和化学品则被收入可清空的集水坑。他们建议在跨河桥梁附近开展试验。

Other groups targeted litter that looks small but still harms wildlife. Llandilo Public School students proposed collecting discarded hair ties and elastics, then cleaning them for resale or remaking them into new products. New packaging would explain why poorly discarded elastics damage the environment and how buyers should dispose of old ones safely.

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另一些小组针对看似细小却仍会伤害野生动物的垃圾。兰迪洛公立小学的学生提议收集并清洗丢弃的发圈与松紧带，再转售或再造成新产品。新包装将说明随意丢弃的松紧带为何损害环境，以及购买者应如何安全处置旧物。

Regentville classes offered animal-focused designs. One group proposed a platypus tick vaccine and a GPS tag to monitor movements through the river; ecologists would give both during field surveys. Another class built a full-size breeding tunnel model: 2.5-metre tunnels start in the water and run into the riverbank, with vegetation planted above to restore banks and keep cats and foxes out of nests.

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雷金特维尔的班级提出了更贴近动物本身的设计。一组建议推出鸭嘴兽蜱虫疫苗和用于监测其河道活动的GPS标签，均由生态学家在野外调查时施用。另一班搭建了全尺寸繁殖隧道模型：2.5米长的隧道从水中起、嵌入河岸，上方种植植被以恢复岸坡，并阻挡猫和狐狸进入巢穴。

Partners have included Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Penrith Lakes Environmental Education Centre, Penrith City Council, WaterNSW, Western Sydney University and Landcare groups. Penrith Mayor Todd Carney urged students and the community to put the ideas into practice to safeguard Nepean River habitats. In July, a Habitat Day had introduced the same students to water testing, planting and expert workshops.

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合作方包括澳大利亚塔龙加保护协会、彭里斯湖环境教育中心、彭里斯市议会、新南威尔士水务局、西悉尼大学及Landcare等组织。彭里斯市长托德·卡尼敦促学生与社区把设想付诸实践，以守护尼皮恩河生境。七月的“栖息地日”已让同一批学生接触水质检测、种植与专家工作坊。

School STEM projects cannot replace professional conservation. Yet Expo Day shows a useful path: students learn science by answering a real local problem, experts share field knowledge, and the public sees concrete prototypes rather than only slogans. Whether those designs leave the classroom, the Penrith case suggests that protecting river wildlife can begin with guided school design work.

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校园STEM项目无法取代专业保护工作。但博览日展示了一条有用路径：学生通过回应真实本地问题学习科学，专家分享田野知识，公众看到具体原型而非只剩口号。无论这些设计能否最终走出教室，彭里斯的例子表明，保护河流野生动物可以从学校里有指导的设计工作开始。

新闻来源

• NSW Department of Education · Schools back project to save Penrith platypus population (14 Oct 2026)
• NSW Department of Education · Students project to protect Penrith platypuses (31 Jul 2026)
• Penrith City Council (LinkedIn) · Project Platypus Expo Day (28 Sep 2026)

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