The Clark Center forges together, at each level of inquiry, elements of engineering, biology, physics, chemistry, and the basic and clinical medical sciences. While such interdisciplinary activities do indeed happen from time to time, the Center provides the necessary infrastructure to make this an everyday occurrence. It comprises the equipment, resources and utilities required to conduct breakthrough research at the cutting edge of engineering, science and medicine. Much of this is contained in shared core facilities to which all Stanford faculty and students have access, whether or not they are resident in the Center. Full-time technicians conduct training of students to use the equipment.
Equipment is replaced before it becomes obsolete.
The Bio-X Program operating through The Clark Center provides space and monetary resources to seed new research initiatives across the campus. Space is dedicated to teaching undergraduates, graduates and medical students in a completely interdisciplinary environment. Team teaching conducted across all disciplines is the hallmark of these educational activities. A large food court insures social interactions so critical to the incubation of novel ideas, methodologies and technologies. The facility serves as the focal point of the union of engineering, science and medicine.