694 Tom Ferguson
“Freshman year, I joined the Robotics Team, and my kids did too,” says Tom Ferguson, amateur stand-up comedian and Team 694’s lead engineering mentor of four years. This funny, inspirational dad is also an aerospace engineer and Vice President of Engineering at Cox & Company, Inc., the only aerospace manufacturing firm in Manhattan. Tom is […]
116 Dave Lavery
You have inevitably heard of a wacky guy named Dave Lavery, though you probably know him as a NASA executive who sends robots to Mars or as a FIRST notable who has Dean Kamen on speed dial. Sure, Dave is a celebrity in the macrocosm of FIRST, but forget that for a moment because he […]
1114 Karthik Kanagasabapathy
Ralph Waldo Emerson tells us nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Having known our team’s mentor, I must agree. To Team 1114’s mentor, Karthik Kanagasabapathy, no accomplishment is as great as inspiring youth and I can assure you, it is in credit to his endless enthusiasm. Karthik has spent the past 7 years mentoring […]
1208 Eric O. Curry
When O’Fallon Township High School founded a robotics team three years ago, Mr. Eric Curry was not exactly thrilled with the upcoming adventure. In fact, he initially wanted little to do with the project, considering the time and effort involved. As he viewed the FIRST ideals in progress and the mounting team unity, however, Mr. […]
494 Jay TenBrink
Mr. Jay TenBrink is truly an inspiration, motivation, and encouragement to myself as well as the entire team. His enthusiasm for his engineering profession as well as his desire to share his learnings with others is always evident.During our brainstorming sessions each year, Mr. TenBrink continuously reminds us that there is no such thing as […]
812 Robert Mainieri
“It’s sad…Mr. Mainieri doesn’t have a life. We make fun of him a lot for that. But, we all have deep respect for him,” said Giang Pham, a Team 812 student. Mr. Mainieri has gained this deep-found respect from his students by promoting engineering, teaching with innovative techniques, and instilling the importance of teamwork at […]
71 Darrell Noble
Commitment is a big part of being a FIRST mentor. No engineer is more dedicated to the success of Team Hammond than Darrell Noble. He has been mentoring Team Hammond since their inception in 1996. Employed at Beatty Machine for 39 years, Mr. Noble got involved with FIRST through his employer, Bill Beatty. Once he […]
537 John Budish
Someone once told me a story about my breakfast. More specifically, about the eggs and bacon I devoured earlier in the day. He then changed tactics and asked me what the difference was between being involved and being committed. When I looked at him with a bemused expression, attempting to find the correlation between breakfast […]
360 Paul Roush
Paul Roush, Bellarmine Prep class of 1994, is an engineer on Team 360 and has been an integral part of the team since it started, five years ago. Paul has provided the team with an incredible amount of dedication and enthusiasm. His knowledge of engineering stems from his extensive training as a Professional Engineer. His […]
871 Brian Buonomo
At the root of every successful robotics team there is a mentor that strives for nothing less than what is best for the team. In the case of our team, 871 of West Islip, New York, this leader is Mr. Brian Buonomo. Mr. Buonomo, or Mr. B as we call him, is the driving force […]
