Four young Hawaii scientists placed in the top 300 of a national student innovation contest, a bright spot for the islands' schools and for local environmental research.

• The students were picked out of 2,000 nominees nationwide in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge.
• Joanna Towle, 13, from the Big Island found that native mamaki tea leaves can help protect lung cells damaged by volcanic ash from Kilauea.
• Waiakea High student Madeline Wiseman tracked the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat at sunset for over a month, showing the bats live alone in trees and move upslope to escape coastal rain.
• Oahu friends James Beecroft and Riley Yamamoto, both 14, built "Sea Darts" — small biodegradable seed capsules that drones or planes can drop to replant forests wiped out by disasters.
• All four projects were aimed at solving problems specific to Hawaii, from volcanic air pollution to wildfire recovery.

Outlook: The students did not reach the final round, but several are now looking into patenting their inventions.