The research of Yan Wan, assistant professor of electrical engineering, could impact industries using smart cyber-physical system technology. This spring, Wan, who has researched Wi-Fi capable drones, earned a National Science Foundation CAREER award to develop an innovative theoretical framework for cyber-physical systems. The systems enable airborne networking, using direct flight-to-flight communication for flexible information sharing, safe maneuvering and coordination of time-critical missions. Wan's research findings have broad applications to smart power grids, smart transportation systems and smart health systems.