Each year, more than 200,000 kids are treated in emergency rooms for playground-related injuries. But four eighth-graders might change all that. Last June, students from Hillel Academy in Fairfield, Connecticut, won a gold medal in a national competition for developing what they believe to be the safest and cleanest playground surface: recycled rubber. Yori Thau, Jay Estes, Jason Friedman, Michael Epstein, and their science teacher Karen Howell dropped eggs, grew mold, and conducted tests to arrive at their conclusion. They found that recycled rubber absorbs the impact of falls, stays cleaner, is most accessible to the disabled, and is least likely to get tracked indoors by kids' shoes. Each student won a $2,000 bond and a trip to Disney World. They hope their invention will encourage their school and others to use recycled rubber instead of using mulch.