ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Putting their skills to the test - Saturday more than 1,000 students participated in the 2025 First Robotics Finger Lakes Regional, hosted at the RIT Gordon Field House. This year’s theme was reef-scape, challenging the 54 teams to explore the ocean’s eco-system. (WROC/Melanie Sosa) Students were tasked with designing, building and coding robots able to harvest algae and plant coral. In the past, the themes have touched on music, transportation and energy resources. “It means a lot just being at a competition, it’s like pure energy injected directly into your veins. It’s super exciting and it’s really the culmination of a lot of weeks’ work,” said Quinn Gaul, a Senior from Wilson High School. “First Robotics is incredible for teaching STEM, and getting people ahead, but it’s also incredible for just building confidence and creativity and just…it turns kids into leaders.” A spectacular spectacle of shamrocks: The 2025 Rochester St. Patrick’s Day Parade Beyond the main awards from the competition, this year folks in attendance were also awarded Volunteer of the Year, Mentor Recognition. The team finalists will advance for a chance to compete in the national competition, which is scheduled for April 16-19. ...read more read less