More than 100 students gathered Saturday in the Hanover High School library, eagerly awaiting news regarding a highly-anticipated project.

All eyes were turned to an online-streamed presentation that outlined the rules for this year’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition.

Teams from Hanover, Lee-Davis and Patrick Henry high schools listened intently to FIRST president Dean Kaman as he introduced this year’s challenge.

Here’s how it works: Teams from around the world are presented with a problem that requires a robot in the solution. FIRST sends each team a kit of materials needed to construct the basic model, but the final product requires more thought and material.

For Hanover’s team mentor, physics teacher Dan Bartels, the kickoff is the beginning of a hectic six-week dash to complete, test and refine the final product, a task that often requires long hours and last-minute challenges.

About 60 teams then compete at the regional level at VCU, vying for a trip to the coveted FIRST Robotics Competition in St. Louis in the spring. It’s a star-studded extravaganza that eventually crowns the top scholastic robotics teams in the world.

While Hanover and Atlee have fielded robotics teams for years, Patrick Henry entered two years ago, and Lee-Davis is making its inaugural appearance this year.

“We’ll be mentoring Lee-Davis this year and helping their team get up and running,” Bartels said.

Teams from across the globe come up with snappy, off-beat names for their teams. For Hanover, it’s Defenders of the Multiverse (DOTM) 1522. Rosie Easter is this year’s team co-leader with Sam Nowlin. She said she followed her brother’s path in to the club.

Joey Easter was team captain in his senior year and eventually attended Virginia Tech and obtained his engineering degree. He now works at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds with the military. Rosie said robotics assisted in that success.

“He decided to become an engineer because of robotics,” Rosie said.

While most of the club members are engineering-minded individuals, the competition attracts students with varying degree goals.

“It’s not only for people who want to become scientists or engineers,” Rosie said. “I want to become a child psychologist. The experiences I’ve had here have really helped me grow from a quiet freshman who didn’t know what to do to who I am now. I’m not an engineer but I love this.”

FIRST was formed by Dean Kaman to allow technology-minded students to enjoy the camaraderie of competition and the excitement of scientific challenges.

Kaman said he started FIRST “to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”

Bartels said it’s the hands-on element that excites him and the 60 students who participate at Hanover.

“Over the next six weeks, what Robotics teams around the country are going to do is take this problem and solve it with a robot and all that goes along with that,” Bartels said. “In the same period, kids who aren’t doing FIRST will be solving problems on a worksheet and will generate a stack of worksheets in a six-week period. Which is better when it comes to creativity and innovation?”

Bartels said the robotics project provides students a “cooperative and competitive” challenge and real world technology and engineering experience.

After much anticipation, this year’s challenge was finally announced and the clock is ticking. While some team members studied rules and began sketches on the computer, others headed to VCU to pick up team packets and parts.

Competing in robotics isn’t cheap or easy, and teams are required to raise funds for the expenses. Local sponsors support the effort and the Hanover team is backed by a dedicated group of boosters headed by president Gianna Clark. The Hanover County School Board also contributes to the effort.

“We plan trips, prepare food, whatever they need,” Clark said. The efforts also include fundraising and attracting local sponsors.

Each year, the competitions and project cost about $30,000, not including travel costs.”

“We couldn’t do this without them,” Bartels said.

One of those sponsors is Scott Staylor, owner of a high precision manufacturing company in Ashland called Sonic Tools.

“We thought that extracurricular activities should include activities like this where they actually learn how to do something. This was a good fit for us,” he said.

Staylor said the experience also introduces students to local engineering and manufacturing experts.

“This a fun and exciting project and these students are our future creators and inventors. I’m working with my future hires,” he said with a laugh.

This year’s challenge involves a basketball-like court where robots will travel and attempt to shoot and make baskets. There is a barrier between the two sides of the court that robots will have to negotiate, and defense is allowed.

Team mentor for Lee-Davis Tom Riley said the process seems daunting for his young team, dubbed the C_FEDS (Club for Engineering Droids).

“It’s exciting but a little overwhelming,” Riley said.

“We’ll have fun trying this and it will be a great experience for the kids,” the technical education teacher said as he sorted through his recently received rookie kit from FIRST.

Patrick Henry mentor Les Cook said the project allows his team members to work independently in a real world situation.

“They do the whole thing,” Cook said. “They program the computers, and, if they have a problem, they look it up online. They construct the whole thing.”

The Patrick Henry team or ORCA (Official Robotics Constructors of America) has about 16 members, but Cook expects that number to grow as word spreads about the FIRST challenge.

Rosie has her eyes set on a return trip — the second in a row — to St. Louis for DOTM. Last year’s event featured performances by the Black Eyed Peas and other groups.

“It’s an exciting event that is so much fun with thousands of robotics kids gathered in one place,” Rosie said.