National Instruments (NI) will recognize four decades of innovation in 2016. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the company’s founding, the City of Austin has proclaimed May 14, 2016 to be NI Day. To celebrate, NI invites the Austin community to enjoy a free day at the Thinkery, where the next generation of engineers and scientists can learn, explore and innovate.
The Thinkery will be free and open to the public on Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. NI has supported the Thinkery for many years because of their shared mission to provide engaging and educational STEM programs for the next generation of creative problem solvers.
“We are honored by the recognition of NI Day from the mayor’s office and the Austin community,” said Dr. James Truchard, president, CEO and cofounder of NI. “Since founding NI in Austin four decades ago, community has always been an important part of our culture. We will continue our support by sharing the excitement of engineering, science and technology for decades to come.”
Founded by Dr. James Truchard, Jeff Kodosky, and Bill Nowlin, the company originated when the three founders were dissatisfied with data collection methods they were using while working on a research project at the University of Texas at Austin in the 1970s. So they set out to create something better. Their first product was a GPIB interface board for a PDP-11/04 computer.
How’s this for a throwback Thursday; a look at LabVIEW 1.0, running on an early Macintosh computer.
From those humble beginnings, the company has ever since been a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. Some common applications include data acquisition, instrument control and machine vision.
Since the company was founded in 1976, NI technologies have helped engineers and scientists solve numerous engineering challenges and make a lasting impact on society. The billion-dollar company now employs more than 2,500 Austin-area residents and operates in nearly 50 countries around the world.
For more about NI, visit www.ni.com.
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