C2SMART has chosen Matthew Vechione, a doctoral student in the University of Texas at El Paso’s College of Engineering, as its 2017 Outstanding Student of the Year. The annual award recognizes a student from one of C2SMART’s consortium member schools, as chosen by the Center’s executive leadership committee.

Vechione has been working with Kelvin Cheu, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at UTEP, on one of C2SMART’s current projects. The goal of the project is to develop a smartphone mobility app that caters to the specific needs of seniors.

The award included a prize of $1,000 and a certificate from USDOT, as well as covering costs to attend the 2018 TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The Student of the Year is selected based on accomplishments in three areas: technical merit and research capability, academic performance, and leadership.