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Education

Dr. Mark E. Dean, Black Computer Scientist Holds 20 Patents

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Advancements in computer science and other STEM areas usually conjure names such as the late Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Burt Rutan. Yet there are a plethora of lesser-known engineers and inventors developing landmark technologies for companies worldwide, one being computer scientist Mark E. Dean (born March 2, 1957). He is credited with making computers more accessible and powerful, dramatically changing the way people work.

Born in Jefferson City, Tenn., Dean was a tinker from the beginning. He held a passion for building and inventing things, and even constructed a tractor from scratch with the help of his father. His excellence at math caught the attention of teachers even when he was in elementary school. A star athlete and straight A student, he graduated at the top of his high school class. In 1979, he graduated at the top of his class at the University of Tennessee, where he studied engineering.

But to some, Dean excelled beyond what was thought to be the social norms. While in the sixth grade, a white friend asked Dean if he was “really Black.” According to Dean, his friend had concluded he was “too smart” to be Black.

“That was the problem, the assumption about what Blacks could do was tilted,” Dean said.
That level of bias continued, and followed Dean to his job when he joined IBM in 1980. “It’s a problem, that “has not disappeared and a lot of kids growing up today aren’t told that you can be whatever you want to be. There may be obstacles, but there are no limits.”

Soon after joining IBM, Dean and a colleague linked their innovative skills and developed the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) systems bus that enables multiple devices, such as drive disks, modems and printers, to be connected to PCs. In fact, Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer that all PCs are based upon. In total, he has more than 20 patents associated with his name.

After a number of years of work and research, Dean began to consider earning a doctorate. He admits that after being accepted at Stanford University, things became difficult, but he never regretted his decision.

“I encourage people to go on to graduate school, but they should not wait as long as I did. It makes it very hard. But for me it was definitely the right thing to do and Stanford was the right place to do it.” He earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1992.

Today, Dean is the John Fisher Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee. In 2018, he was named the interim dean of the university’s Tickle College of Engineering.

Over the course of his career, Dean has achieved a remarkable number of accomplishments in technology. Even so, he penned in his blog post, “I have switched to using a tablet.”

Tamara Shiloh

Tamara Shiloh


About Tamara Shiloh





Tamara Shiloh has published the first two books in her historical fiction chapter book series, Just Imagine…What If There Were No Black People in the World is about African American inventors, scientists and other notable Black people in history. The two books are Jaxon’s Magical Adventure with Black Inventors and Scientists and Jaxon and Kevin’s Black History Trip Downtown. Tamara Shiloh has also written a book a picture book for Scholastic, Cameron Teaches Black History, that will be available in June, 2022.

Tamara Shiloh’s other writing experiences include: writing the Black History column for the Post Newspaper in the Bay area, Creator and Instruction of the black History Class for Educators a professional development class for teachers and her non-profit offers a free Black History literacy/STEM/Podcast class for kids 3d – 8th grade which also includes the Let’s Go Learn Reading and Essence and tutorial program.   She is also the owner of the Multicultural Bookstore and Gifts, in Richmond, California,

Previously in her early life she was the /Editor-in-Chief of Desert Diamonds Magazine, highlighting the accomplishments of minority women in Nevada; assisting with the creation, design and writing of a Los Angeles-based, herbal magazine entitled Herbal Essence; editorial contribution to Homes of Color; Editor-in-Chief of Black Insight Magazine, the first digital, interactive magazine for African Americans; profile creations for sports figures on the now defunct PublicFigure.com; newsletters for various businesses and organizations; and her own Las Vegas community newsletter, Tween Time News, a monthly publication highlighting music entertainment in the various venues of Las Vegas.

She is a member of:

  • Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)

  • Richmond Chamber of Commerce

  • Point Richmond Business Association

  • National Association of Professional Women (NAPW)

  • Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)

  • California Writers Club-Berkeley & Marin

  • Richmond CA Kiwanis

  • Richmond CA Rotary

  • Bay Area Girls Club


Tamara Shiloh, a native of Northern California, has two adult children, one grandson and four great-grand sons. She resides in Point Richmond, CA with her husband, Ernest.

www.multiculturalbookstore.com

About Tamara Shiloh

Tamara Shiloh has published the first two books in her historical fiction chapter book series, Just Imagine…What If There Were No Black People in the World is about African American inventors, scientists and other notable Black people in history. The two books are Jaxon’s Magical Adventure with Black Inventors and Scientists and Jaxon and Kevin’s Black History Trip Downtown. Tamara Shiloh has also written a book a picture book for Scholastic, Cameron Teaches Black History, that will be available in June, 2022. Tamara Shiloh’s other writing experiences include: writing the Black History column for the Post Newspaper in the Bay area, Creator and Instruction of the black History Class for Educators a professional development class for teachers and her non-profit offers a free Black History literacy/STEM/Podcast class for kids 3d – 8th grade which also includes the Let’s Go Learn Reading and Essence and tutorial program.   She is also the owner of the Multicultural Bookstore and Gifts, in Richmond, California, Previously in her early life she was the /Editor-in-Chief of Desert Diamonds Magazine, highlighting the accomplishments of minority women in Nevada; assisting with the creation, design and writing of a Los Angeles-based, herbal magazine entitled Herbal Essence; editorial contribution to Homes of Color; Editor-in-Chief of Black Insight Magazine, the first digital, interactive magazine for African Americans; profile creations for sports figures on the now defunct PublicFigure.com; newsletters for various businesses and organizations; and her own Las Vegas community newsletter, Tween Time News, a monthly publication highlighting music entertainment in the various venues of Las Vegas. She is a member of:
  • Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
  • Richmond Chamber of Commerce
  • Point Richmond Business Association
  • National Association of Professional Women (NAPW)
  • Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)
  • California Writers Club-Berkeley & Marin
  • Richmond CA Kiwanis
  • Richmond CA Rotary
  • Bay Area Girls Club
Tamara Shiloh, a native of Northern California, has two adult children, one grandson and four great-grand sons. She resides in Point Richmond, CA with her husband, Ernest. www.multiculturalbookstore.com

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Activism

Dr. Kimberly Mayfield Working to Bring a ‘Black-Affirming University’ (HBCU) to Oakland

The goal, according to Mayfield, is to “create a Black-serving institution in Oakland, which means that 50% or more of the student body would be African American.” The Oakland program could either be an HBCU, which is preferable, or a Black-serving institution unaffiliated with other HBCUs. The program itself could become a stand-alone institution or an assemblage of different programs on a single campus.

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Dr. Kimberly Mayfield. Official photo.
Dr. Kimberly Mayfield. Official photo.

By Ken Epstein

Dr. Kimberly Mayfield, who, until recently served as deputy mayor of Oakland, has been working for several years with educators and community groups to create a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) or other Black-serving institution of higher education in Oakland — potentially on the fully operational campus of Holy Names University in East Oakland, which went out of business in 2023.

The goal, according to Mayfield, is to “create a Black-serving institution in Oakland, which means that 50% or more of the student body would be African American.”

The Oakland program could either be an HBCU, which is preferable, or a Black-serving institution unaffiliated with other HBCUs. The program itself could become a stand-alone institution or an assemblage of different programs on a single campus.

“It could be a consortium model where programs from existing HBCUs locate in Oakland,” similar to the Atlanta Union Center in Georgia, which offers courses from Morehouse, Spelman, Morris Brown, and Clark Atlanta HBCUs, she said.

“There are four different institutions at Atlanta Union, and students can take classes from the different schools. They’re all based in the same place, but the programs are run by different institutions,” said Mayfield.

Key to the program would be the culture of the school, which would be “Black affirming,” offering students a supportive environment that recognizes them as individuals, she said. The program would be campus-based and include online course offerings.

Courses could be offered in downtown Oakland in office buildings in the Black Business and Arts District as well as at the Holy Names site, which was sold to developers for $64 million and is presently for sale.

Holy Names was a private Roman Catholic university in Oakland founded in 1868 by the Canada-based Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary with whom the university remained affiliated until it closed after facing several years of budget shortfalls.

Before serving as Deputy Mayor, Dr. Mayfield began her career as an educator in the Oakland Unified School District and served as dean of the School of Education and Liberal Arts and the vice president for external relations and strategic partnerships at Holy Names.

She said she has already found a lot of interest from various sources for donating funds to start the school, she said. “We have reached out to the East Bay Community Foundation, to set up the necessary structures to receive money to help with strategic planning,” and all other aspects investors want to see, including an internet presence.

The team working on the initiative has 16 members and is led by Mayfield, Councilmember Carroll Fife, and retired attorney Kim Thompson. They recently attended a conference of HBCU leaders held by the United Negro College Fund, where the Oakland proposal was greeted with enthusiasm.

Mayfield emphasized that the goal of bringing an HBCU is something that has broad support in Oakland and has been a subject of growing interest for several decades.

“This is a community-driven initiative. While former Mayor Sheng Thao’s support was important and allowed us to get organized in a certain way, it doesn’t end with her leadership” she said, adding that outgoing Congresswoman Barbara Lee and other mayoral candidates have expressed support for this initiative.

Mayfield said she and her team have been in conversations with leaders of some HBCUs, which are interested in expanding to the West Coast but face financial constraints.

“It’s the racial wealth gap, which affects HBCUs,” the same as the rest of Black America, she said. “They just don’t have the same financial resources that predominantly white institutions have. It’s hard for them to think about a completely separate, sustained campus, when they have to deal with preserving the infrastructure on their main campus.”

She said Holy Names University had 1,400 students at its largest enrollment, with no online component. “We could easily have 1,000 students matriculating on campus, and another online population of students, virtually.”

“We’d like all the virtual students to be close enough to come to campus and participate in the campus culture,” because that’s the difference an HBCU makes, Mayfield said. “It cares for students, sees you as a person, not a number, in touch with wraparound services, calling you if you’re not in class.”

“We want to have an institution that knows who the students are,” she said. “You know their brilliance when they walk in, and you’re doing everything possible academically for them to succeed and thrive.”

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Activism

Scholarships Available for Marin City and Sausalito Students

The Sausalito Woman’s Club Scholarship Recognition Fund is seeking candidates for its annual Scholarship Program.  Candidates are eligible to apply if they are a permanent resident of Sausalito or Marin City (living in the zip code 94965), a current high school senior or a high school graduate, and planning to continue their education in college, graduate school, vocational school, or art school.

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Scholarship recipients. Photo courtesy of Sausalito Women’s Club.
Scholarship recipients. Photo courtesy of Sausalito Women’s Club.

By Godfrey Lee

Scholarships are available through the Sausalito Women’s Club (SWC) Scholarship Recognition Fund for the Academic Year 2025-26.

Established in 1956 as a charitable arm of the Sausalito Women’s Club (SWC), scholarship has played an important role in the local community by helping more than 1,000 residents pursue higher education and by awarding over $1 million in its first 60 years.

The Sausalito Woman’s Club Scholarship Recognition Fund is seeking candidates for its annual Scholarship Program.  Candidates are eligible to apply if they are a permanent resident of Sausalito or Marin City (living in the zip code 94965), a current high school senior or a high school graduate, and planning to continue their education in college, graduate school, vocational school, or art school.

The deadline to submit applications are due on March 10.

Applications are available through the SWC Scholarship Recognition Fund website: www.swcsrf.org. Or email swcsrfApplications@gmail.com. Applications can also be obtained and submitted by US mail to: SWCSRF/Application Committee, P.O. Box 3045, Sausalito, CA 94966.

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Alameda County

New Data Show an Increase in Californians Enrolling as Undergraduates at UC Berkeley

UC and campus officials state that the increase in California undergraduates reinforces their dedication to expanding access to the state’s students and fulfilling the university’s compact with Gov. Newsom, and with the Legislature’s support, to grow in-state enrollment.

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UC Berkeley Campus. Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley News.
UC Berkeley Campus. Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley News.

The trend reflects an increase in Californian students enrolling across the UC system

By UC Berkeley News
Public Affairs Office

More Californians enrolled as new undergraduate students at UC Berkeley and other UC campuses in fall 2024 compared to the prior year, according to data released Tuesday by officials with the University of California systemwide office.

At the University of California, Berkeley, 7,657 new transfer and first-year students from California enrolled in fall 2024. Their percentage increased to 85% of all newly enrolled undergraduates, compared to about 80% in fall 2023.

UC and campus officials state that the increase in California undergraduates reinforces their dedication to expanding access to the state’s students and fulfilling the university’s compact with Gov. Newsom, and with the Legislature’s support, to grow in-state enrollment.

Last spring, UC Berkeley officials admitted fewer first-year and transfer students to compensate for prior admissions cycles in which more students enrolled than anticipated. However, they increased the proportion of California residents offered first-year admission, increasing that number from 75% for fall 2023 to almost 80% for fall  2024. This occurred by offering fall 2024 admission to fewer first-year, out-of-state students, and international students.

Additional enrollment data for Berkeley and the nine other UC campuses are available on the UC website.

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