Thread created automatically to discuss UFH Honoree:
Eric Rasmussen.
Name: Eric Rasmussen
Date Honored: 10-31-2005
Years involved w/FIRST: 13
FIRST Team(s): FIRST / Other (0000)
Role: Senior Computer Systems Analyst, FIRST
Quote: “Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.”
Bio: Eric Rasmussen sees a side of FIRST that many of us can't fathom. Eric has been working with FIRST for 11 years now, longer than many of the people we call 'veterans'. Through the past 11 years, FIRST has undergone many changes, but Eric has been a guiding force through it all- to make sure that FIRST participants have an educational, fun, and inspiring experience. Starting out on Team 190 from WPI, Eric mentored as a grad student for two years before moving on to FIRST. He's just a do-it-all kind of guy, as you'll see. He even sent us a picture of him employing his niece Ella to test E-Stop buttons on the 2003 field.
Eric told us how he got started in the FIRST program: "I was a graduate student at WPI while on the team. I served as mentor and chaperon to the students, and helped with the robot design, testing, and fabrication. One of the students came back over the summer and I taught him basic computer programming. I also helped produce the team T-shirts and supplied them with day-glow pink safety glasses."
Eric also had a unique memorable FIRST moment, from a side of the action most of us don't get to see. "I was working late one night answering rules questions for a team update. It was a little after 3 AM and suddenly the phone rang. It was a team from New Jersey (sorry, I don't remember which one) up late working on their robot, and they had a rules question. Boy were they surprised when I answered the phone and answered their question. I still laugh to myself when I remember it." It takes dedication and immense effort to keep FIRST going.
While his contributions to FIRST are innumerable, Eric gave us a short list of his accomplishments. "I was a mentor for a team during the first two years of the FIRST Robotics Competition. At FIRST, I have been involved in putting together the kit of parts, game design, writing the rules, answering rules questions, helping design and implement many improvements in the robot control systems, traveling to events to provide rules and technical support, helping design and build several generations of event scoring systems, creating and maintaining the FIRST website and registration systems, maintaining the FIRST computer systems, and attending a number of team-run events including every Rumble at the Rock and BattleCry@WPI."
When asked to describe FIRST to an outsider, Eric told us, "FIRST is the real deal when it comes to positive, life-changing experiences. It teaches you the importance of teamwork, that you don't need to be Einstein to overcome tremendously complex problems, and that hard work coupled with creativity can produce an extraordinary amount of fun."
Lastly, Eric gave his fellow FIRSTers a bit of advice. "Participating in FIRST is something you will never forget. It is a very fun and rewarding experience, and that leads many people to spend a huge amount of their time being involved. Be involved and do good things, but don't overdo it."
Congratulations to Eric Rasmussen, our 45th Unsung FIRST Hero.
Nominated By: confidential