A strong ITS research program and its corresponding supporting laboratory are indispensable resources for high-quality training of ITS professionals and solving traffic problems in the Puget Sound region. Following Dr. Yinhai Wang 's proposal in June 2003, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington (UW) and Transportation Northwest (TransNow), USDOT University Center for Federal Region 10, decided to establish a laboratory for Smart Transportation Applications and Research (STAR) to enhance the strength of ITS research and education at the University of Washington. Major objectives of the STAR Lab are: support advanced ITS research; cultivate ITS professionals; explore effective solutions to transportation problems; provide hand-on training instruments and software applications for students in ITS classes; and construct a bridge between the UW and agencies of transportation practice.