James Truchard, who earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1974, was recognized by Texas Exes on Nov. 1 with the organization’s annual Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Truchard, who is co-founder and CEO of National Instruments, one of the country’s most successful tech companies, has been a longtime supporter of the Cockrell School of Engineering. In January 2013, he contributed $10 million to help develop the Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC), which is set to open in fall 2017.

His personal gift will help support the National Instruments Student Project Center in the EERC, which will provide undergraduate students with 23,000 square feet of new space in which to design and build everything from solar cars and satellites to robots and biomedical sensors.

Truchard is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and he has been recognized with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship for his community involvement. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences in 1964 and 1967 respectively.

Created in 1958, Texas Exes’ Distinguished Alumnus Awards are granted annually to alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally and through service to UT Austin.