Beckman Institute researchers are known internationally for advances in fields as 21st Century as nanoscale electronics and the cellular workings of the brain. Some of their discoveries may lead to future applications or they may simply serve the purpose of increasing our basic scientific knowledge. For some Beckman researchers, their work is leading to end products or adding to a knowledge base that directly helps people with disabilities or who are suffering from disease. Their research supports the development of interventions and therapies, has resulted in novel aids for the disabled, and has led to the development of new technologies and methods for understanding disease and disorders.
Researchers Kenneth Watkin, David Clayton, Fatima Husain and Deana McDonagh are examples of the kind of Beckman faculty members who are contributing in very direct ways to helping others. Their methods and areas of study vary, but all are doing work that could have a very direct, beneficial impact on people suffering from disabilities, disorders, and disease, either down the road or in the near future.
Watkin is developing a battlefield helmet that uses sensors to help medical personnel diagnosis the extent of head injuries. McDonagh is educating a new generation of designers, including students with disabilities, to create products for the disabled with the user as an integral part of the design process. Clayton uses the zebra finch songbird as a model organism for studying the brain, including an effort to increase our understanding of the disorder Fragile X syndrome. Husain uses a variety of technologies and methods to gain insight into tinnitus, an effort that could lead to future interventions or therapies for the hearing disorder.