UMaine student wins top engineering award

ORONO – University of Maine student Matthew Rodrigue has been named the top electrical engineering student in the nation. Eta Kappa Nu, the national electrical engineering honor society, has announced Rodrigue as the winner of the Alton T. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner Outstanding Electrical Engineering Student award.

“I was honored just to have been nominated,” Rodrigue said. “I never expected to actually win.”

Rodrigue is a Wilton native who graduated from Mount Blue High School. He will finish his UMaine coursework in August, upon completion of two summer courses. He will graduate with two degrees – one in electrical engineering and one in computer engineering. A Rhodes scholar finalist, Rodrigue was recently named outstanding graduate in the UMaine College of Engineering. He also served as president of UMaine Student Government and as the student trustee on the University of Maine System board of trustees.

The president of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity in 2001-2002, he was last year elected to that organization’s national board of directors. Rodrigue has been honored as UMaine’s Student Leader of the Year and Fraternity Man of the Year. During the fall sports season, he served as cross-country coach at Orono High School.