Donald Bitzer, most notably inventor of the Plasma display and largely regarded as the "father of PLATO", has made a career of improving classroom productivity by using computer and telecommunications technologies.

The creation of PLATO, the first system to combine graphics and touch-sensitive screens, is the hallmark of his efforts.

In October of 2002, Dr. Bitzer was awarded an Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his efforts in advancing television technology.

Bitzer co-invented the flat Plasma display panel in 1964. Originally invented as an educational aid to help students working in front of computers for long periods of time, plasma screens do not flicker and are a significant advance in television technology. In 1973 the National Academy of Engineering presented Bitzer with the Vladimir K. Zworykin Award, which honors the inventor of the iconoscope. The invention won the Industrial Research 100 Award in 1966.

A member of the National Academy of Engineering since 1974, Bitzer was designated a National Associate by the National Academies in 2002. He is a Computer Society Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the American Society for Engineering Education.

Bitzer holds patents for inventions including the plasma-display panel, a high-quality modem and new satellite communications techniques. Bitzer received his bachelor's in 1955, his master's in 1956 and his doctorate in 1960, all in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. He is currently a Distinguished University Research Professor in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University.