This summer, Yan Wan, assistant professor of electrical engineering, and Shengli Fu, associate professor of electrical engineering, developed drones with a Smart Emergency Response System, enabling them to create Internet hotspots to provide Wi-Fi access and cell phone coverage after disasters.

Their drones were part of the larger White House Presidential Innovation Fellows project to create Smart Emergency Response Systems. They presented their research findings at the White House and at the SmartAmerica Challenge Expo in Washington, D.C.