Mark Dean: The black man who contributed to invention of the modern computer
There is always a reverse side to everything, so it can be safely surmised that the reverse of Shakespeare’s quote “The evil that men do live after them”, would certainly be “The good that men do live after them”. The world today enjoys several contributions that Africans have made in history. One of such is the life and contributions of Mark Dean; worthy of praise and educating.
Mark Dean, an engineer, played a crucial part in the invention of the modern personal computer. Three out of the nine Patents, used by International Business Machines (IBM) to produce the Personal Computer HYPERLINK “https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dean-mark-1957/” (PC), were invented by him.
Born to Barbara and James Dean, in Jefferson City, Tennessee, 1957, Mark began to exhibit his prowess and genius in engineering at a very tender age. He became king over his white peers in school as well as his teachers, at the Jefferson City High School, which was an integrated school. He every exam he wrote he always came out with straight-A grades.
He graduated from the University of Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, in 1979. After his first degree. he went further to study at Florida Atlantic University, where he also graduated with a Masters Degree, in 1982.
At the peak of his career, he obtained his doctorate in the field from Stanford University, in 1992, this was years after his contributions to the invention of the modern PC.
Upon his completion at Florida Atlantic University, he got employed by IBM. In 1981, at the initial stage of his time at IBM, he and his colleague both invented the ISA Bus, which was meant to make the Personal Computer more efficient and durable in offices and business environments. Their invention made it possible for monitors, disk drivers, printers, and scanners to be connected directly with cable to personal computers.
Deans HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dean_(computer_scientist)” spent the HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dean_(computer_scientist)”entirety of his HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dean_(computer_scientist)”career at IBM. He was employed to become the chief engineer on the Personal Computer Project, with some of his early inventions being the IBM PS/2 Models 70 and 80, the Colour Graphic Adapter, and the internal architecture which allows Personal Computers to make use of peripheral high-speed devices, such as scanners, mouses and keyboards.
After the completion of the doctorate from Stanford University, he returned to IBM, and he was made an IBM fellow in 1995, which was this the highest honour in the company. In 1997, IBM appointed him as the vice president of the company, and he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
In 1999, he invented the world’s first gigahertz chip along with his team, with the power to process one billion calculations per second. With over 40 patents till date under his belt, Mark received several awards from various institutions. In 2001, he was elected to become a member of the National Academy of Engineers (NAE).
