CSC News

University Celebrates Bitzer’s Induction into the National Academy of Inventors

Over a hundred family, friends and professional colleagues gathered at The Point (the Chancellor’s mansion) on the evening of May 8^th to celebrate Dr. Donald Bitzer’s recent induction into the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

As the sun sat in Raleigh on this beautiful evening, the NC State Belltower was bathed in red in honor of Dr. Bitzer’s achievements.

Bitzer, a Distinguished University Research Professor of Computer Science, was inducted as an NAI Fellow in April, along with NC State physics professor, Dr. William Ditto. The two join seven other NC State faculty who have previously been named NAI fellows.

The academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

Bitzer co-invented the flat plasma display panel in 1964. The technology was eventually applied to television screens, and millions of plasma TVs have been sold to the public since they were introduced in the 1990s. His work on the plasma display monitor earned him an Emmy Award in 2002. He also invented and co-developed Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations, or PLATO, the first computer system to combine graphics and touch-screen displays.

Related story - https://www.csc.ncsu.edu/news/2095

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