Donald Bitzer





Donald Bitzer is best known for his work in developing the gas plasma display screen and in developing the PLATO computer-assisted learning system. The PLATO computer system was the first system to combine graphics and touch-sensitive screens.

See https://hclemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/profile-of-an-hcle-pioneer-don-bitzer/ for a 2017 document about Bitzer.

The PLATO company has a long history going back to before Control Data Corporation began to help support PLATO in 1963.

Bitzer's formal educational background includes:


 * Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, 1960.
 * M.S. Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, 1956.
 * B.S. Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, 1955.

While much of his professional career was spent at the University of Illinois, he moved to North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC in 1999.

Gas Plasma Display Screen
Quoting from the Wikipedia:


 * [[Image:Gas_Plasma_Display.jpeg|right]] The xenon and neon gas in a plasma television is contained in hundreds of thousands of tiny cells positioned between two plates of glass. Long electrodes are also put together between the glass plates, in front of and behind the cells. The address electrodes sit behind the cells, along the rear glass plate. The transparent display electrodes, which are surrounded by an insulating dielectric material and covered by a magnesium oxide protective layer, are mounted in front of the cell, along the front glass plate. Control circuitry charges the electrodes that cross paths at a cell, creating a voltage difference between front and back and causing the gas to ionize and form a plasma. As the gas ions rush to the electrodes and collide, photons are emitted.

Bitzer has been awarded 16 patents. A number, including the first two focus on the gas plasma display screen. Notice also the two focusing on educational delivery systems.


 * Bitzer, D.L., “Versatile display teaching system,” US Patent 3 405 457, Oct 15, 1968.
 * Bitzer D.L., H.G. Slottow, and R.H Willson, “A gaseous discharge display and memory mechanism,” US Patent 3 559 190, Jan 26, 1971.

…


 * Andersen, D.M., D.L. Bitzer, R.K. Rader, B.A. Sherwood, and P.T. Tucker, “Cluster computer-based education delivery system,” US Patent 4 636 174, Jan 13, 1987.
 * Bitzer, D.L., J.E. Stifle, M.W. Walker, C.E. Kelley, D. Pakey, and D.A. Lee, “Computer-based education system,” US Patent 4 793 813, Dec 27, 1988.

Plato
Bitzer's early research work focused on the gas plasma display screen and applications of this technology to computer-assisted learning. Here are some of his early PLATO papers:


 * Bitzer, D.L, P. Braunfeld & W, Lichtenberger, “PLATO: An automatic teaching device,” IRE Transactions on Education, E-4, 157-161 (Dec 1961).
 * Bitzer, D.L., W. Lichtenberger & P.G. Braunfeld, “PLATO II: A multiple-student computer controlled teaching machine,” Programmed Learning and Computer-based Instruction, ed. by Coulson, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 205-216 (1962).
 * Bitzer, D.L. & P. Braunfeld, “A computer-controlled teaching system (PLATO)” New Media in Higher Education, ed. by Brown and Thornton; National Education Association, Washington, D.C., 108-110 (1963).
 * Bitzer, D.L. & J.A. Easley, Jr., “PLATO: A computer-controlled teaching system,” Computer Augmentation of Human Reasoning, ed. by Sass and Wilkinson, Spartan Books, Washington, D.C., 89-103 (1965).
 * Bitzer, D.L., E.R. Lyman & J.A. Easley, Jr., “The uses of PLATO: A computer-controlled teaching system,” Audiovisual Instruction, 11(1), 16-21 (1966).
 * Bitzer, D.L., "The PLATO teaching system,” Automated Education Letters, 1(2). 13-15 (Nov 1965).

Quoting from the PLATO Corporation home page:

Welcome to PLATO Learning!
 * As the first and most innovative educational technology company, we continue to lead in providing prescriptive, personalized instruction, technology-based teaching tools, and standards-driven assessment and data management to facilitate continuous academic improvement for K–adult learners.

PLATO and Control Data Corporation
As PLATO became more fully developed abd available, it made use of Control Data Corporation computers. Here is part of a 1988 interview of Donald Bitzer that captures this history.


 * BITZER: Let me go back and trace the history of PLATO. CSL (University of Illinois Control Systems Laboratory) where PLATO started, was a defense laboratory in the early days and we used the ILLIAC I to a great extent for our research calculations. In fact PLATO I was programmed on the ILLIAC I. Peter Braunfeld did the coding. I did the engineering. PLATO I and, eventually PLATO II ran off ILLIAC I. ILLIAC I was located downstairs where the 5 classroom is now. Even then we knew we needed more powerful computers to expand. CSL had a need for its own full time computer. The laboratory had various vendors, including CDC, IBM, and NCR, and the laboratory talked with them about getting a computer. It turned out that the midwest salesman from CDC by the name of Harold Brooks visited CSL to show us the CDC computer. Before he joined CDC he used to sell heavy equipment -- cranes, or the like. What a salesman! He sold CSL the CDC 1604 machine. The PLATO group started using that machine a few hours a day. In fact, the first time we used it, we used a program called SIMILLIAC, which was a simulator for the ILLIAC. All of our programs in the laboratory and PLATO were written for the ILLIAC. SIMILLIAC was a program that made the 1604 simulate the ILLIAC and the simulation mode ran a roughly the same speed as ILLIAC, which was very slow. Nevertheless, the first thing we did was run PLATO in the SIMILLIAC mode in order to get more clock time than the one or two hours a day on the ILLIAC that was available for the whole laboratory. This way we got a few hours a day but sometimes that much computer time caused concern for the other users. People even suggested that we were taking more than our allotted two hours a day. We wanted to expand so I talked to Harold Brooks about it one day


 * HOCHHEISER: How frequently was Brooks in here?


 * BITZER: My recollection is that he was here quite a bit. He got interested in the PLATO project and he'd come in every chance he'd get. One day Harold said, "I think I can get you a CDC machine. You see, we were getting some 1604's replaced. Don, I think I can get you a refurbished 1604, if you're interested. What we'll do is we'll just lease it to you on a zero lease basis. You will have to cool it and maintain it. " We decided to take him up on his offer. We installed that machine where those disk storage units are now located across from my office. The laboratory didn’t have much in the way of resources. We were a really poor lab in those days. The other groups in the CSL had moved to a new building by then. We installed a wooden false floor for the machine which cost only a few hundred dollars instead of hundreds of thousands of dollars like the floor we later installed for our new machine. The wooden floors worked just as well. We trained a man by the name of Ernie Neff (who was incredible) to maintain the 1604, and we obtained the insurance on the CDC 1604 to protect it against fire and theft.




 * The 1604 was a million dollar machine. It was a wonderful machine in its day. Seymour Cray did a great job designing that machine. Now that got us connected and working with CDC. With that we were able to gather enough information with PLATO III to develop 5000 hours of lesson material. We taught 30 courses in different areas. We accumulated close to 100,000 student hours experience. Today we accumulate 5000 terminal hours per day. PLATO III was so useful that we didn't shut it down until after PLATO IV was running for about three or four years.

Awards and Honors

 * 1967 Industrial Research 100 Award
 * 1973 Vladimir K. Zworykin Award, National Academy of Engineering for “outstanding achievement in the field of electronics applied in the service of mankind.”
 * 1974 Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
 * 1976 Data Processing Management Association's computer sciences “Man of the Year” award.
 * 1976 Fellow - Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
 * 1979 Recognition award from the Society for Information Display for pioneering contributions to computer graphic systems and plasma displays
 * 1981 Chester F. Carlson Award for innovation in engineering education from the American Society for Engineering Education.
 * 1982 Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, an honor bestowed by the State of Illinois for achievement of Illinois citizens in the betterment of human endeavors.
 * 1983 Fellow - American Association for the Advancement of Science
 * 1985 Honorary Doctor of Science, MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Ill.
 * 1986 Fellow - Association for the Development of Computer-Based Instructional Systems
 * 1989 XI World Computer Congress, the AFIPS Education Award, presented by the American Federation of Information Processing Societies, for contributions to the spectrum of educational processes, most notably the invention of the PLATO system.
 * 1989 International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM ring 236) award for contributions of creativity to the art of magic.
 * 1989 Collinsville High School alumni achievement award
 * 1991 40th anniversary of the US Army Research Office, recognition of the most significant developments sponsored by ARO (plasma display panel)
 * 1992 Distinguished alumnus award, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Illinois
 * 1993 Bobby C. Connelly memorial award, Miami Valley Computer Association, for achievements in, development of, or advances in the data processing field of endeavor.
 * 1993 American Society for Engineering Education “Centennial Certificate” for exceptional contribution to the ASEE and the profession of engineering
 * 1994 Fellow - International Engineering Consortium
 * 1994 Pullen Society medallion, North Carolina State University
 * 1998 ACM/AIP NCSU best classroom presentation award, North Carolina State University
 * 2000 CM/AIP NCSU most helpful outside class award, North Carolina State University
 * 2002 National Associate, the National Academies (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine & National Research Council).
 * 2002 Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for efforts in advancing television technology (specifically Plasma Panel)

Comment by David Moursund 1/4/09

 * Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. (Arthur C. Clarke; British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist; 16 December 1917–19 March 2008.)

I still remember when I first saw the PLATO computer-assisted learning (CAL) system with touch panel. It was like science fiction coming alive. I think I was most impressed by the interaction provided by the touch panel. A student reading the display could touch a word and get a definition or other information.

Up until that time I thought of in terms of a "clunkity-clunk" teletype terminal. Wow! The PLATO system just blew me away.

Later I learned about a PLATO project developing materials for use in an elementary school. The project included teachers, a curriculum design expert, and an experienced PLATO programmer. By that time, "experienced" met more than 2,000 hours in programming the system. This gave me a clear indication that a teacher who happened to have learning a little programing in Logo or BASIC was not going to produce the quality of materials needed to make CAL successful.

Author or Authors
The initial version of this page was developed by David Moursund.