Mark is an accomplished biomedical research scientist and veterinary physician who has earned three post-baccalaureate degrees including two doctorates in Veterinary Medicine and Biochemistry/Cell Biology with numerous peer-reviewed publications to his credit. Working as a top award-winning Sales Executive with a major Fortune 150 company, he consults on nanotechnology needs for biological and material scientists employed with academic/biotech/clinical labs including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Department of Defense (Army, Navy & Air Force), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Engraving & Printing (BEP), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA), Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Smithsonian Institution. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, the University of Maryland NanoCenter and the World Veterinary Association. After joining the Civil Air Patrol (US Air Force auxiliary) in 1975, he quickly rose thru the ranks and received his solo wings in 1977, participated in 1978 IACE and capped his CAP cadet career with the General Carl A Spaatz Award in 1981 for which he received a congratulatory letter from President Richard M. Nixon and met with Paul E. Garber (First Curator of the National Air & Space Museum). Lt Col Kukucka earned the Gill Robb Wilson Award in 2013 and is currently serving as the Director of Development for Maryland Wing in addition to being a commercial instrument-rated airplane and helicopter pilot.  

Kukucka Foundation

Created in 2023 in his namesake, the Kukucka Foundation (EIN 99-6099145) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization that makes grants to serve the public good. With a personal commitment of $30M (minimum) in perpetuity, the foundation intends to reward aspiring gifted and talented students who pursue a STEM centered course of study in the biological and material sciences using electron microscopy (EM).

"Anything worth doing today for the advancement of humankind is and will be done under an electron microscope..." - Dr. Mark A. Kukucka

• Advancing the art & science of discovery in the ultrastructural world for gifted and talented students training in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and/or scanning electron microscopy (SEM) academic programs
• Providing scholarships to aspiring students (MS & PhD) who dedicate themselves to TEM and SEM studies (to be known as Kukucka Scholars)
• Offering other scholarships and financial assistance to support STEM centered students and activities in the biological and material science EM worlds

1. Scholarships available thru Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA), University of Maryland (College Park, MD), Civil Air Patrol (Maxwell AFB, AL), Eastern Technical High School (Essex, MD), St Stephen's Catholic Church (Bradshaw, MD), St Paul's Lutheran Church (Kingsville, MD)
2. Endowments set-up at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA), University of Maryland (College Park, MD), Civil Air Patrol (Maxwell AFB, AL)

n.b. Scholarships and endowments totaling $96,000 were made in 2023

n.b. Scholarships and endowments totaling $121,000 were made in 2024

Bibliography

• Kukucka, Mark A. and Hara P. Misra. 1994. Determination of oxytocin in biological samples by isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography with coulometric detection using C18 solid-phase extraction and polyclonal antibody-based immunoaffinity column purification. J Chromatogr B Biomed Appl 653(2):139-45. [1]
• Kukucka, Mark A. and Hara P. Misra. 1994. Isolation and culture of highly enriched populations of Leydig cells from guinea-pig (Cavia porcellus) testes. Andrologia 26(4):217-24. [2]
• Kukucka, Mark A. and Hara P. Misra. 1994. Elevated concentrations of ascorbate and normoxia suppress testosterone production in cultured guinea pig Leydig cells. Reprod Toxicol 8(4):333-9. [3]
• Kukucka, Mark A. 1993. Mechanisms by which hypoxia augments Leydig cell viability and differentiated cell function in vitro. Dissertation (Ph. D.) -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993.  
• Kukucka, Mark A. and Hara P. Misra. 1993. The antioxidant defense system of isolated guinea pig Leydig cells. Mol Cell Biochem 126(1):1-7. [4]
• Kukucka, Mark A. and Hara P. Misra. 1992. HPLC determination of an oxytocin-like peptide produced by isolated guinea pig Leydig cells: stimulation by ascorbate. Arch Androl 29(2):185-90. [5]
• Kukucka, Mark A. and Hara P. Misra. 1992. HPLC identification of an oxytocin-like peptide produced by isolated guinea pig Leydig cells: stimulation by sodium ascorbate. In: E.S.E. Hafez (Ed), Molecular Andrology, Volume IV, Issues 1-2, pp 160-161. M.C. Chang Festschrift, Kiawah Is.  
• Kukucka, Mark A. 1985. Spatial relationships, behavioral patterns and performance levels of group-housed domestic rabbits. Thesis (M.S.) -- University of Maryland, 1985.