Mark Dean (computer scientist)

{{Infobox person

| name = Mark Edward Dean

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|3|2}}

| birth_place = Jefferson City, Tennessee, United States

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater = {{plainlist|

B.S., Electrical Engineering, 1979, University of Tennessee
M.S., Electrical Engineering, 1982, Florida Atlantic University
Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, 1992, Stanford University}}

| occupation = Computer engineer

| organization = IBM

| spouse =

| parents = James Dean, Barbara Dean

}}

Mark Edward Dean{{Cite web |title=Mark Edward Dean - Dean UTK Resume CV Sept 2017 |url=https://web.eecs.utk.edu/~markdean/Dean%20UTK%20Resume%20CV%20Sept%202017.pdf |access-date=February 26, 2025 |website=University of Tennessee, Knoxville}} (born March 2, 1957){{cite web |title=Mark Dean - Biography, Computer Scientist, Engineer |date=13 January 2021 |url=https://www.biography.com/inventors/mark-dean |publisher=biography.com}} is an American inventor and computer engineer. He developed the ISA bus with his partner Dennis Moeller, and he led a design team for making a one-gigahertz computer processor chip.{{cite news | first = Frank | last = McCoy | title = He refined the desktop PC.| date = 1999-12-26 | url = https://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/000103/archive_034033.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121020094411/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/000103/archive_034033.htm | archive-date = 2012-10-20 | work = U.S. News & World Report | access-date = 2011-08-12 | quote = A year later, Dean led a team that built a 1,000-megahertz chip [...]}} He holds three of nine PC patents for being the co-creator of the IBM personal computer released in 1981.{{cite press release |first = Richard | last = Maulsby | title = Four American Inventors to Receive Ronald H. Brown American Innovator Awards | date = 1997-10-15 | url = http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/1997/97-21.jsp | publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office | access-date = 2013-07-11 |quote = Dean, just 40, holds more than 25 patents, including three of IBM's original nine PC patents.}} In 1995, Dean was named the first ever African-American IBM Fellow.{{Cite web|date=2017-04-13|title=IBM Fellows - United States|url=http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ideasfromibm/us/ibm_fellows/|access-date=2021-02-21|website=www.ibm.com|language=en-US}}

Dean was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering in 2001.

In 2000, Mark discussed a hand held device that would be able to display media content, like a digital newspaper.{{Cite web |title='The tablet is my device of choice': Why PC creator Mark Dean has largely abandoned his electronic child |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/430842/the-tablet-is-my-device-of-choice-why-pc-creator-mark-dean-has-largely-abandoned-his-electronic-chi.html |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=PCWorld |language=en}} In August 2011, Dean stated that he uses a tablet computer instead of a PC in his blog.{{cite web|url=http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/IBM-PC-thirtieth-anniversary/ |title=Thirty years later, the personal computer's obsolete, IBM PC designer says |access-date=2011-08-12 |last=Angel |first=Jonathan |date=2011-08-10 |publisher=linuxfordevices.com |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904035652/http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/IBM-PC-thirtieth-anniversary/ |archive-date=2012-09-04 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news | first = Mark | last = Dean | title = IBM Leads the Way in the Post-PC Era | date = 2011-08-12 | url = http://asmarterplanet.com/blog/2011/08/ibm-leads-the-way-in-the-post-pc-era.html | publisher = Smarter Planet | quote = I recently traded in my PC for a tablet computer [...] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813005941/http://asmarterplanet.com/blog/2011/08/ibm-leads-the-way-in-the-post-pc-era.html |archive-date=2011-08-13}}

Early life

Dean was born in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Dean displayed an affinity for technology and invention at a young age.{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/mark-dean-604036#early-life-and-education|title=Mark Dean: Early Life and Education|publisher=Biography.com|language=en-us|access-date=2017-02-18}} His father, James, worked bob{{Clarify|date=February 2025}} electrical equipment for turbines and spillways. Dean's father would often bring him on work trips, introducing him to engineering.{{Cite web |title=Mark Dean: The Groundbreaking Inventor and Computer Engineer |url=https://www.uniquecoloring.com/articles/mark-dean |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Unique Coloring |language=en-US}} When Dean was young, he and his father constructed a tractor from scratch.{{Cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/mark-dean-604036|title=Mark Dean|date=13 January 2021 }} In middle school, Dean had made up his mind on becoming a computer engineer. He attended Jefferson City High School in Tennessee, where he excelled in both academics and athletics.{{cite journal

| title = High-tech's Invisible Man'

| journal = US Black Engineer & IT

|date=February 2002

| page = 14

| volume = 25

| issue = 5

| issn = 1088-3444

| publisher = Career Communications Group

}} While in high school during the 1970s, Dean built his own personal computer.{{Cite web |title=Mark Dean Saw—and Built—the Future – The Elective |url=https://elective.collegeboard.org/mark-dean-computer-science-pioneer |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=elective.collegeboard.org |language=en}}

Recognition

Dean is the first African-American to become an IBM Fellow,{{cite book |last=Carter Sluby |first=Patricia |title=The inventive spirit of African Americans: patented ingenuity |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-275-96674-4 |edition=illustrated |page=177}} which is the highest level of technical excellence at the company. In 1997, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.{{cite web |url=http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=38 |title=Mark Dean |publisher=National Inventors Hall of Fame |access-date=2017-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055834/http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=38 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=dead }} He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2001.{{cite web |title=Mark Dean - Computer Scientist of the African Diaspora |url=http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/computer-science/dean_mark.html |access-date=2017-02-21 |publisher=Department of Mathematics, University of Buffalo}} In 1997, Dean was awarded the Black Engineer of the Year Presidents Award. From August 2018 to July 2019, Dean was the interim dean of the UT's Tickle College of Engineering.{{cite web |date=2018-08-15 |title=Parker Taking New Role at Office of Science and Technology Policy |url=http://www.engr.utk.edu/parker-taking-new-role-at-office-of-science-and-technology-policy/ |access-date=2018-08-17 |publisher=The University of Tennessee, Knoxville}}{{Cite web |date=July 2019 |title=Thank you, Mark Dean |work=Tickle College of Engineering |url=https://tickle.utk.edu/thank-you-mark-dean/ |last1=Vandeventer |first1=Brittney }}

As of April 26, 2019, April 25 is officially Mark Dean Day in Knox County, Tennessee.{{cite web |date=26 April 2019 |title=Knox County Proclaims April 25 'Dr. Mark Dean Day' |work=Tickle College of Engineering |url=https://tickle.utk.edu/knox-county-proclaims-april-25-dr-mark-dean-day/ |access-date=2019-08-27 |publisher=University of Tennessee |last1=Vandeventer |first1=Brittney }}

Career and Achievements

Dean graduated with a bachelors in electrical engineering during 1979.{{Cite web |title=Mark E. Dean |url=https://our.tennessee.edu/100-distinguished-alumni/mark-dean/ |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Our Tennessee |date=23 January 2017 |language=en-US}} Soon after, he got a job at IBM as an engineer. His first task at the company was to create a word processor adapter for IBM's Datamaster terminal. During this time, he also created the ISA bus that allowed additional components to be connected to a PC. His work got him promoted in 1982 to chief engineer of PC design, where he worked with a team to develop the IBM PC. In the same year, Dean earned his master's degree in electrical engineering. In 1999, Dean and his team developed a gigahertz microchip, the first in the world.

Dean was the President overseeing the company's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. At one point, Dean was CTO for IBM Middle East and Africa.{{cite news | first = Bob | last = Evans | title = Personal Computers Becoming Obsolete, Says IBM PC Architect | date = 2011-08-11 | url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2011/08/11/personal-computers-becoming-obsolete-says-ibm-pc-architect/ | work = Forbes | access-date = 2011-08-12 | quote = One of IBM's primary designers for its iconic PC says he's chucked the PC in favor of a tablet [..] Now CTO for IBM Middle East and Africa, Dean [...]}} He retired from the company in 2013 and became a professor at University of Tennessee. Mark Dean is the John Fisher Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee.{{cite web |date=2013-08-07 |title=Personal Computer Inventor to Join College of Engineering Faculty |url=http://www.utk.edu/tntoday/2013/08/07/personal-computer-inventor-join-engineering-faculty/ |access-date=2013-10-12 |work=Tennessee Today |publisher=The University of Tennessee, Knoxville}}

Dean now holds more than 20 patents,{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/mark-dean-604036#innovation-with-ibm|title=Mark Dean: Innovation with IBM|date=13 January 2021 |publisher=Biography.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.black-inventor.com/Dr-Mark-Dean.asp |title=Dr. Mark Dean: Computer Inventions |publisher=Black-inventor.com |access-date=2017-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729235639/http://www.black-inventor.com/Dr-Mark-Dean.asp |archive-date=2010-07-29 |url-status=dead }} and his work led to development of the color PC monitor.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-21 |title=Dr. Mark Dean and the Personal Computer - News - SparkFun Electronics |url=https://www.sparkfun.com/news/6048 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221182351/https://www.sparkfun.com/news/6048 |archive-date=2023-02-21 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=Sparkfun}}

Patents by Mark Dean

class="wikitable"

!Name of Patent{{Cite web |title=Mark E. Dean Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search |url=https://patents.justia.com/inventor/mark-e-dean |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=patents.justia.com}}

!Patent Number

!Date of Patent

Color video display system having programmable border color

|4437092

|March 13, 1984

Composite video color signal generation from digital color signals

|4442428

|April 10, 1984

Microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices

|4528626

|July 9, 1985

Refresh generator system for a dynamic memory

|4575826

|March 11, 1986

Data processing system including a main processor and a co-processor and co-processor error handling logic

|4598356

|July 1, 1986

Computer system including a page mode memory with decreased access time and method of operation thereof

|5034917

|July 23, 1991

Method and apparatus for selectively posting write cycles using the 82385 cache controller

|5045998

|September 3, 1991

Bidirectional buffer with latch and parity capability

|5107507

|April 21, 1992

Control of pipelined operation in a microcomputer system employing dynamic bus sizing with 80386 processor and 82385 cache controller

|5125084

|June 23, 1992

System bus preempt for 80386 when running in an 80386/82385 microcomputer system with arbitration

|5129090

|July 7, 1992

Microprocessor hold and lock circuitry

|5170481

|December 8, 1992

Delayed cache write enable circuit for a dual bus microcomputer system with an 80386 and 82385

|5175826

|December 29, 1992

Data processing apparatus for selectively posting write cycles using the 82385 cache controller

|5327545

|July 5, 1994

Connecting a short word length non-volatile memory to a long word length address/data multiplexed bus

|5448521

|September 5, 1995

Microcomputer system employing address offset mechanism to increase the supported cache memory capacity

|5450559

|September 12, 1995

System and method for prefetching information in a processing system

|5544342

|August 6, 1996

Non-contiguous mapping of I/O addresses to use page protection of a process

|5548746

|August 20, 1996

Self-time processor with dynamic clock generator having plurality of tracking elements for outputting sequencing signals to functional units

|5553276

|September 3, 1996

Method and system for reading from a m-byte memory utilizing a processor having a n-byte data bus

|5603041

|February 11, 1997

Method and system in a distributed shared-memory data processing system for determining utilization of nodes by each executed thread

|6266745

|July 24, 2001

Method and system in a distributed shared-memory data processing system for determining utilization of shared-memory included within nodes by a designated application

|6336170

|January 1, 2002

Data storage device for recording to magnetic thread

|7206163

|April 17, 2007

Method and apparatus for constructing a neuroscience-inspired artificial neural network with visualization of neural pathways

|9753959

|September 5, 2017

Method and apparatus for constructing, using and reusing components and structures of an artificial neural network

|10019470

|July 10, 2018

Method and apparatus for providing random selection and long-term potentiation and depression in an artificial network

|10055434

|August 21, 2018

Method and apparatus for constructing a dynamic adaptive neural network array (DANNA)

|10095718

|October 9, 2018

Method and apparatus for providing real-time monitoring of an artificial neural network

|10248675

|April 2, 2019

References

External links

{{cite magazine|last=Brown|first=Alan S.|url=https://www.tbp.org/pubs/Features/Sp15Bell.pdf|title=Mark E. Dean: From PCs to Gigahertz Chips|magazine=The Best of Tau Beta Pi|publisher=Tau Beta Pi|date=Spring 2015}}

Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Jefferson City, Tennessee

Category:African-American engineers

Category:21st-century American engineers

Category:African-American inventors

Category:20th-century American inventors

Category:African-American computer scientists

Category:American computer scientists

Category:IBM Fellows

Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering

Category:Computer hardware engineers