A University of Bridgeport graduate student who developed a device aimed at keeping people safe and preventing other major disasters has won the Best Presentation Award at the Connecticut Collegiate Business Competition.

Joe Bango was awarded the $500 prize for Downed Standoff Powerline Sensor. The device helps emergency response and utility crews quickly locate, replace, or repair broken power lines, which have caused billions of dollars in damages and massive fires, including recent deadly conflagrations in Northern California.

BRIDGEPORT, CT (November 27, 2018)—Genesis Paz was nine when her uncle first showed her the guts of a television. Mesmerized by its motherboard and outsized monitor, she watched carefully as he repaired the appliance. Later, he fixed a computer. She watched that, too. Each time her uncle had something to fix, Paz was by his side, asking questions.