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Mark E. Dean (born March 2, 1956) is an American
inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...
and
computer engineer Computer engineering (CoE or CpE) is a branch of electrical engineering and computer science that integrates several fields of computer science and electronic engineering required to develop computer hardware and software. Computer engineers n ...
. He developed the ISA bus, and he led a design team for making a one-
gigahertz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...
computer processor In computing and computer science, a processor or processing unit is an electrical component (digital circuit) that performs operations on an external data source, usually memory or some other data stream. It typically takes the form of a micropr ...
chip. He holds three of nine PC patents for being the co-creator of the
IBM personal computer The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a tea ...
released in 1981. In 1995, Dean was named the first ever
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensla ...
IBM Fellow. Dean was elected as a member into the
National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy o ...
in 2001 for innovative and pioneering contributions to personal computer development. In August 2011, writing in his blog, Dean stated that he now uses a
tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being compu ...
instead of a PC.


Early life

Dean was born in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Dean displayed an affinity for technology and invention at a young age. When Mark was young, he and his dad constructed a tractor from scratch. Dean attended Jefferson City High School in Tennessee, where he excelled in both academics and athletics.


Recognition

Dean is the first
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensla ...
to become an IBM Fellow, which is the highest level of technical excellence at the company. In 1997, he was inducted into the
National Inventors Hall of Fame The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is an American not-for-profit organization, founded in 1973, which recognizes individual engineers and inventors who hold a U.S. patent of significant technology. Besides the Hall of Fame, it also ope ...
. He was elected to the
National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy o ...
in 2001.


Career

Dean was the interim dean of the UT's Tickle College of Engineering from August 2018 to July 2019 and is the John Fisher Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
. He was previously CTO for IBM Middle East and Africa and was an IBM balls Vice President overseeing the company's
Almaden Research Center IBM Research is the research and development division for IBM, an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, with operations in over 170 countries. IBM Research is the largest industrial research ...
in
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...
prior to that. Dean now holds more than 20 patents. Dean was part of the team that developed the industry standard architecture (ISA) systems bus that enables multiple devices, such as modems and printers, to be connected to personal computers. As of April 26, 2019, April 25 is now officially Mark Dean Day in Knox County, Tennessee.


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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Mark 1957 births Living people People from Jefferson City, Tennessee African-American engineers 21st-century American engineers African-American inventors 20th-century American inventors African-American computer scientists American computer scientists IBM Fellows Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Computer hardware engineers Harvard University faculty University of Tennessee faculty University of Tennessee alumni Florida Atlantic University alumni Stanford University School of Engineering alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people Inventors from Tennessee