Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science & Technology

A Synergistic Approach

The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) educates, mentors and trains students to integrate and apply a combined scientific, analytical, technological and business approach to emerging biomedical engineering and biomedical science areas.

CREST is one of the five distinct yet related priority research and programmatic expansions funded by a $30 million grant — one of the largest gifts in the history of Clarkson University — from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.

We specialize in:

A balanced academic exposure to the medical, social and psychological aspects of disability and its remediation.
Current knowledge about the pathophysiology of disability and new research tools.
Analytical processes to model the impairment and its functional limitations.
The design and development of acceptable augmentation or replacement devices, strategies or concepts.
Real-world design, provisioning, marketing of and training in the use, psychology and sociology of such devices.

I'm grateful for many things during my time at Clarkson, but the CREST lab is undoubtedly at the top of that list. I had taken many research and undergrad lab courses; however, the CREST lab allowed me to apply my engineering knowledge to investigate and solve complex biomedical problems. CREST connected the dots between many of my previous classes and taught me how to implement the short- and long-term goals needed to complete high-level research studies.

Austin Marshall '20 BS in Biochemistry, PhD candidate in Bioscience and Biotechnology

Current Areas of Research

Areas of research include:

Neural engineering
Biomolecular engineering
Biosensors
Biosignal processing
Computational biology
Biomaterials
Bioinformatics
Biometrics
Bio-entrepreneurship
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Rehabilitation Engineering

Rehabilitation engineering spans the entire engineering and research spectrum:

From basic science to mathematical models and sophisticated simulations/analyses.
From device design to clinical trials.
From mechanical, electrical, industrial and materials engineering to industrial design.
From measurement theory to human factors and quality control.
From clinical practice to the socioeconomic worth of technology.

Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Science and Bio-Entrepreneurship

Our biomedical engineering/biomedical science focus leads to a unique and synergistic approach, especially when entrepreneurship is added as a key ingredient.

We focus on current science, engineering, technology and the marketplace.
Students at Clarkson receive sought-after cross-disciplinary training.
CREST is a university-wide endeavor, crossing the purview of all the major schools and centers.
Bio-entrepreneurship partners engineering senior design capstone courses with the Reh School of Business.

My most defining experience at Clarkson has been my engagement in the labs. I was given the opportunity to both participate in and lead research that furthered my understanding of my chosen topics. I was able to get hands-on project design exposure to real-world problems in both my graduate and undergraduate careers. Not only did this educate me, it also allowed me to directly contribute to my field of interest.

Camilla Ketola '21, BS in Biology, BS in Computer Engineering MS Candidate in Electrical Engineering