Min H. Kao (MS/EE, ’74; PhD/EE ’77) and Mark Dean (BS/EE, ’79) have been selected as the inaugural inductees of the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Alumni Hall of Fame.
Kao co-founded Garmin in 1989 with the vision of enriching people’s lives by bringing Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to the consumer market. Dean, an emeritus professor, was the John Fisher Distinguished Professor at UT from 2013 until his retirement in 2019. One of a small number of IBM Fellows, Dean is also a former interim dean of the college.
“We are proud to establish the EECS Hall of Fame to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our alumni and the broader EECS community,” said EECS department head Garrett Rose. “Dr. Mark Dean and Dr. Min H. Kao demonstrate what is possible for generations of Tennessee engineers and computer scientists. Their contributions have helped shape the modern world. It is a privilege to celebrate their careers, accomplishments, and lasting influence as the inaugural class of EECS Hall of Fame inductees.”
Under Kao’s leadership as executive chairman, Garmin has become the global leader in satellite navigation with a diverse line of products for outdoor, fitness, automative, mobile, aviation, and marine markets.
As one of the college’s biggest benefactors, Kao and his wife, Yu Fan, provided grants for the construction of the Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building as well as the creation of the Min H. & Yu Fan Kao Innovation & Collaboration Studio. In 2018, the department was also named in Kao’s honor.
“I have been truly blessed throughout my life, but none more so than when I was accepted into these hallowed halls of the University of Tennessee,” Kao said. “I came to the United States in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in electric engineering and a desire to continue my education where more opportunities were available to students. I was offered a teaching assistantship at UT, which made it possible for me to pursue my dreams, and allowed me to study under some extraordinary professors such as Dr. James Hung.”
Dean’s research and teaching focused on advanced computer architecture, data centric computing, and computational sciences. Dean holds three of the original nine patents for the IBM personal computer on which all PCs are based. One of his landmark inventions, the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, permits add-on devices like keyboards to connect with a computer’s motherboard. Dean was recognized for this achievement with his 1997 election to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
“It is a great honor to be inducted into the EECS Hall of Fame,” Dean said. “EECS has a long history of groundbreaking research and curriculum that prepares students for successful careers. EECS and its predecessor departments prepared me for a career of exploration and innovation, in both industry and academia.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu)