Two Georgia Tech students, Patrick Caputo and James Molini, won the Tomberg Prize at the Dell Social Innovation Competition, an online contest that awards seed funding to student-led ventures that help solve social problems and help people in need.

Out of a field of more than 700 international entries, their venture, known as "Waste to Watts," was one of only two recipients to receive a cash prize. Mr. Caputo is an electrical engineering major, and Mr. Molini is a biomedical engineering major.

Waste to Watts has designed a low-cost, modular back-up power supply that will run devices ranging from EKGs and patient monitors to computers and household lights for several hours when the power goes out. The most expensive components of the device are made of repurposed electronic waste, one of the world's fastest growing pollution problems. Messrs. Caputo and Molini plan to complete the third iteration of their design and ship several units with student-volunteers from Duke University to hospitals in Africa to acquire a proof of concept this summer.

To learn more about "Waste to Watts," visit http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/.