Penn State York has expanded opportunities for engineering research and experiential learning through the development of the Smart Systems Integration Lab, a new space focused on smart transportation systems and intelligent city infrastructure.
Founded and directed by Neda Bazyar Shourabi, assistant professor of electrical engineering, the lab was created to give students opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to engineering challenges through research, design and hands-on experimentation.
Built in just two semesters with significant student involvement, the lab includes car and bicycle simulators along with experimental systems that allow students to explore transportation technologies, connected infrastructure and smart city applications.
Today, the Smart Systems Integration Lab is one of the few transportation-focused engineering labs across Penn State's Commonwealth Campuses, offering students opportunities to collaborate closely with faculty while gaining research and technical experience often found at larger institutions.
"The goal was to create a space where students could move beyond theory and actively work with systems and technologies they may encounter in industry or graduate research," Bazyar Shourabi said. "Students are not just observing projects - they are helping build, test and improve them."
The lab was designed to remain flexible as technology evolves while providing students with direct exposure to interdisciplinary problem-solving, system integration and experimental design.
"One of the biggest challenges was creating a functional and innovative lab with limited resources while keeping it student-centered," Bazyar Shourabi said. "Integrating different systems and simulators into one connected environment required creativity, collaboration and a lot of troubleshooting."
Undergraduate students played a major role in helping bring the lab to life. Matthew Owen, Gabe Herbst and Kyle Miller, graduates of Penn State York's class of 2025 2+2 engineering program, worked alongside Bazyar Shourabi during the development of the lab and assisted in managing many of its systems and projects.
The Smart Systems Integration Lab is closely connected to undergraduate research and honors projects. Students contribute to building experimental setups, analyzing data and working directly with faculty on research initiatives. Through these experiences, students develop technical, research and professional skills while gaining experience with real-world hardware and engineering systems.
Research assistants and students from the engineering and 2+2 programs have also presented research connected to the lab at the Middle Atlantic Section Fall Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in late 2025, the Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishments at Penn State York, and the Fourteenth Annual Penn State Eastern Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Bazyar Shourabi said the work taking place in the lab reflects the growing role engineering plays in shaping safer, more connected and more efficient communities.
"The Smart Systems Integration Lab helps students understand how engineering can directly impact everyday life," she said. "From smarter transportation systems to intelligent infrastructure, these technologies have the potential to improve how communities' function and how people move through them.
The lab also supports collaboration both within Penn State and with external partners while helping introduce younger students to STEM-related fields and emerging technologies.
During summer 2025, the lab collaborated with the Safety and Behavioral Analysis Center at Morgan State University on a research project exploring the use of ground drones in urban environments.
In May, the lab also hosted three workshops for seventh-grade students participating in the "Pathways to Your Future" program at Penn State York.
Bazyar Shourabi credited Robert Farrell, director of academic affairs at Penn State York, for supporting her vision and helping make the lab a reality.
