AUSTIN, TX-Dr. James Truchard, CEO, president and cofounder of National Instruments, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), widely considered the highest honor given in the engineering profession. Truchard was recognized for “creating ‘virtual instrumentation,’ which enabled the rapid development of customized measurement systems in industry, academia and classrooms.” He is one of only 156 Texans to be elected in the history of the academy, which has 2,217 members. Truchard was recently named a Distinguished Graduate of The University of Texas College of Engineering and in 2003 was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. In 2001, Frost & Sullivan honored him as CEO of the Year for the test and measurement industry. Founded in 1964, NAE is the portal for all engineering activities at the National Academies, which also includes the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education, including significant contributions to engineering literature, and to the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.