ECE alumnus James Truchard (Ph.D. '74) worked at UT's Applied Research Laboratories (ARL) for only two years before he, and fellow ARL employees Jeff Kodosky and Bill Nowlin, founded National Instruments (NI). Thirty two years later, the company has 4,000 employees, direct operations in 41 countries, and nearly $1 billion in sales.

Dr. Truchard bleeds orange. Two of his sons, John (’94) and Michael (’89), got their BSEEs from this department. Truchard is a member of the University of Texas Chancellor's Council, the Engineering Foundation Advisory Council, and a former member of ECE's Visiting Committee. Truchard was inducted into the Electronic Design Engineering Hall of Fame, elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and elected to the National Academy of Engineering. We are proud to call him one of our own.