Mason Galemore

Photo provided by Burnett

Burnett created, MSU Smart Park, after his experiences with parking on campus.

A Murray State student used his experience with parking to create an app to help with parking problems on campus. 

Boaz Burnett, senior electromechanical engineering major, is graduating this May. Like everyone on campus, Burnett was tired of on-campus parking problems, such as not being able to find parking in time for classes and not knowing which permits were allowed in each lot. This led him to create the parking app “MSU Smart Park.” 

Burnett has been working on the parking app since his sophomore year. The app’s first run didn’t go as planned, but Burnett picked the project up again his junior year and has been working on developing the app ever since.

The parking app is broken up into five different tabs. The first tab is the parking map, which shows each parking lot on campus and allows you to see what parking is available, depending on your parking permit. The app has a favorites tab that lets you choose your most-used parking lots for easier access.

The MyGate tab has quick links to the most used MyGate links, such as RacerCard balances, myRegistration, the RACR Degree Audit and others.

 The final feature on the app is the option to add your RacerCard for quick use at Winslow or the Wellness Center.  

Burnett said he hopes the app will help with parking problems and help students become more connected on campus. 

“I don’t look at the app as just a parking app,” Burnett said. “I’m trying to help the student experience on campus.”

The app’s parking aspect is still being developed, but all other features are active. Burnett is in the process of getting clearance from Parking Services to install cameras around the campus parking lots so the app can accurately display what parking spots are available. 

The parking lot will show green for available parking spots and red for taken ones. “There’s a lot of red tape to go through to get access to the parking lots,” Burnett said. Burnett is currently working on the app for free, but he is open to having Murray State or any other university buy it. “I’m just hoping to grow the app,” he said, though he hopes to provide enough value that universities would pay for it down the road. 

The founding of the MSU Smart Parking app wouldn’t have been possible without a donation from Kentucky Commercialization Ventures, which awarded Burnett $5,000 to help start the app. This allowed him to buy new equipment to create the app, making it a much easier process.

 Kentucky Commercialization Ventures sent Burnett to New York City for a week to participate in Camp 2030, where students from 60 countries learn about sustainable goals and work on electromechanical devices.  “It was my first time going to New York; it was a great experience!” Burnett said. 

MSU Smart Park is only available for download on iOS, as Burnett is still working toward getting the app on Android devices. Burnett hopes to finish developing the app by the time he graduates.