In memoriam: Donald L. Bitzer, father of PLATO

A giant in the field of engineering, Bitzer’s inventions were world-changing. He is known as the “father of PLATO” for his role in creating the groundbreaking computer-based education system at the University of Illinois. He is a co-inventor of the flat-screen panel plasma display; in 2002 he shared an Emmy award for technological achievement with Gene Slottow and Robert Willson for his contributions to developing the plasma screen technology, which was used in the PLATO system. His research has also led to intelligent modems for telephone lines and cable systems, and he holds 50 patents including a high-quality modem and new satellite communication techniques.

Photo Credit: Marc Hall/North Carolina State University

Bitzer obtained all three of his electrical engineering degrees from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering, receiving a bachelor’s in 1955, a master’s in 1956 and PhD in 1960. After receiving his doctorate, he joined the University of Illinois faculty as a professor of electrical and computer engineering.

During his time at Illinois, first at the Coordinated Science Laboratory and then serving as the director of its spinoff, CERL (the Computer-based Education Research Laboratory), Bitzer developed PLATO (later backronymed as Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations.)

“Well beyond his technical innovations and achievements, Don will be remembered for his extraordinary mentoring, and the intellectual freedom and curiosity he supported and excited in those around him,” said C. K. Gunsalus, Professor Emerita and CSL Research Professor, who was first hired by Bitzer to work at CERL as a 16-year old.

The PLATO system was originally created to extend learning opportunities to students in inner-city schools. His team first launched the PLATO platform in 1960 on the U. of I.’s groundbreaking ILLIAC I computer. Through PLATO, students could use computer terminals to access course materials remotely through the campus network and receive interactive feedback.

Photo Credit: University of Illinois Archives

PLATO was initially used in various buildings on campus, with cable lines also extending to Parkland College and Leal Elementary School in Urbana. By 1976, PLATO had reached 950 terminals, with more than 3,500 hours of learning material in 100 subjects, available at the U. of I., Florida State University and Control Data Corporation. PLATO systems soon spread worldwide.

A speedy and versatile system, PLATO quickly became a widely-used educational platform that also extended to entertainment and connection, including forums, message boards, email, chatrooms and multiplayer video games.

In a 2014 visit to campus, Bitzer commented: “All of the features you see kids using now, like discussion boards or forums and blogs started with PLATO,” Bitzer said. “All of the social networking we take for granted actually started as an educational tool.”

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Bitzer’s work on PLATO also spurred him to co-invent the flat-screen panel plasma display with colleague Gene Slottow and graduate student Robert Wilson in 1964. To get PLATO courses into schools, they needed to distribute the images to remote terminals in a cost-effective way. They aimed to make a graphics display with embedded memory to reduce communication demands between the computer and the terminal. The team created the first plasma panel, which allowed a single telephone line to run 16 terminals, along with a specialized modem and other innovations.

In 1964, Bitzer and his wife Maryann spent time in India, where he worked as a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur in West Bengal. Following his retirement from Illinois in 1989, Bitzer became a professor emeritus of the ECE department. That same year, he joined the faculty of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, most recently as a Distinguished University Research Professor of Computer Science.

Bitzer received many accolades over his lifetime: he was an IEEE Fellow, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, a Computer History Museum Fellow and a University of Illinois Alumni Association Awardee. He was also a practicing magician, incorporating magic tricks into many of his lectures, and in 1989 he received an award from the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Over and above these achievements, he is remembered for his commitment to inclusivity and openness in his lab, supporting pioneering women programmers and researchers, and opening opportunities for high school students to join in learning and research. He encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration and fostered creativity in the people he encountered, including the many PhD and MS students he advised. The Donald L. Bitzer and H. Gene Slottow Creativity Award is a testament to this emphasis on creativity and inventiveness. His impact on engineering was huge, and he will be missed by many.