Mark Leon
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}{{short description|NASA researcher}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mark Leon
| birth_date = {{birth year|1962}}
| death_date = April 2018
| death_place = Sunnyvale, California
| nationality =
| occupation = electrical engineer, civil servant
| known_for = MCing at many FIRST robotics competitions
}}
Mark Leon (1962 – April 2018) was a former civil servant with NASA Ames Research Center. His primary work was in education and communication systems.
Early life
Mark Leon grew up in a rather rough East San Jose neighborhood, and graduated from James Lick High School in 1980. He originally began taking a slightly more academic route to life when he began hiding in the library from other high school students who were attempting to beat him up.{{cite web|url=http://www.edutopia.org/mark-leon-helping-kids-build-better-robot |title=Mark Leon, Helping Kids Build a Better Robot |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930231758/http://www.edutopia.org/mark-leon-helping-kids-build-better-robot |archivedate=2009-09-30}}
He also attended San Jose State University[http://wings.avkids.com/Careers/leon.html Mark León - NASA Learning Technologies] and won a silver medal in the 1985 Collegiate National Judo Championships. He received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1986.{{Cite web |date=2018-11-20 |title=Fall/Winter 2018: In Memoriam |url=https://blogs.sjsu.edu/wsq/2018/11/20/fallwinter-2018-in-memoriam/ |access-date=2024-06-01 |website=Washington Square: The Stories of San Jose State University}}
Communications work
In the 1980s Leon was instrumental in establishing trans-Atlantic communication between American, French and English space agencies. In the 1990s he completed the first audio/video link to Antarctica. This was thought to be impossible at the time.{{cite web|title=Spaceward Bound, Mark Leon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520183914/http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound/atacama2006/bios/Mark_Leon.html |url=http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound/atacama2006/bios/Mark_Leon.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-05-20}}
Affiliation with FIRST Robotics
For many years Mark Leon worked as a Master of Ceremonies in many FIRST robotics competition events both on and off season. He was particularly well known for wearing a bright blue NASA coat and dying his hair the same color for these events and coined the phrase "Do the math, Save the world".[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8vhuZ7Rj80 Mark Leon] He was widely cited as an inspiration to many high school students to build robots and impacted many career choices. He is also credited with the existence of a large number of FRC teams.{{cite web|url=https://www.chiefdelphi.com/t/mark-leon-has-left-the-planet/165142|date=31 December 2018 |title=Mark Leon has left the planet |website=Chief Delphi |access-date=18 May 2020}}
Robotics Alliance Project
Beginning in 1998 Mark moved to the Robotics Alliance Project at NASA Ames. This department works primarily in educational and outreach projects and was estimated in 2006 to have reached more than 100,000 middle and high school students. He also ran the Ames Robotics Academy every summer.[http://robotics.nasa.gov/RoboAcad/ NASA Ames Robotics Academy]
References
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Category:San Jose State University alumni
Category:For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology