CELEST is a multi-faceted collaboration that focuses scientific and educational efforts of teams led by 17 core scientists in cooperation with the National Science Foundation. Its mandate is to combine training and research on quantitative behavioral and brain modeling of normal and abnormal learning during perception, cognition, emotion, and action with interdisciplinary cognitive and neuroscience experiments.

Results of basic research are used to teach and develop large-scale neuromorphic engineering and technological algorithms to be transferred to industry and government laboratories.

Integration of research and education at all levels, from primary through post-graduate, is accomplished through the development of innovative curriculum materials based upon models of mind and brain, through educational outreach activities in the schools, and through sponsorship of scientific conferences and workshops.