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This timeline documents the development of Regency Robotics from the initial Girl Scout Gold Award concept to an ongoing public library STEM program. It highlights the engineering design process, pilot implementation, community outreach, media recognition, and continued expansion through the RAIL (Robotics Advancement in Libraries) framework.
Phase 1 – Project Planning
(January–February 2026)
Identifying the Need
Regency Robotics began as part of my Girl Scout Gold Award project after recognizing that many elementary and middle school students have limited opportunities to explore robotics outside of school. While schools often offer robotics clubs or engineering classes, many students do not have access to these programs or the equipment needed to continue learning at home.
Public libraries already serve as community learning centers, making them an ideal location for introducing affordable, hands-on STEM education. Rather than creating a one-time workshop, I wanted to design a sustainable program that libraries could continue offering long after my Gold Award project was complete.
With the project vision established, the next step was turning the concept into a sustainable library-based robotics program.
Ana meets with Regency Park Library staff during the initial planning meeting, where the partnership that launched Regency Robotics first began to take shape.
Establishing the Project Goals
The project was designed around several key objectives:
Develop engaging robotics activities for beginner students.
Create reusable activity stations using affordable equipment.
Build a program that could be operated by libraries with support from trained student volunteers.
Produce implementation guides and documentation to simplify future workshops.
Design a framework that could be replicated by additional public libraries.
Building the Partnership
To transform the idea into a community program, I partnered with Regency Park Library, which agreed to host the pilot workshops. I also recruited student volunteers from LED Robotics to assist with instruction, setup, and participant mentoring during each event.
These early planning decisions established the foundation for Regency Robotics, which later became the pilot implementation of the broader RAIL (Robotics Advancement in Libraries) framework.
Phase 2 – Engineering Development
(February–March 2026)
Engineering the Solution
Once the project goals and library partnership were established, development shifted from planning to engineering. My focus was designing a robotics program that would be engaging for students while remaining affordable, repeatable, and easy for libraries to implement.
Rather than relying on expensive robotics equipment or permanent classroom installations, I designed a series of modular engineering activity stations that could be assembled, transported, and reused for future workshops.
Designing the Workshop Activities
The modular workshop design allows new engineering stations to be added over time without changing the overall program structure.
The initial stations included:
Line Tracking Challenge – exploring sensor-based navigation and path design.
Maze Programming Challenge – introducing programming logic, sequencing, and debugging.
Obstacle Course Navigation – developing precision driving and problem-solving skills using manual robot control.
Every activity was designed to be scalable, allowing future stations to be added as the program expanded.
Ana designs custom robotics components and workshop materials using CAD software before producing reusable parts with 3D printing.
Custom-designed maze components were modeled in CAD and 3D printed to create durable, reusable workshop materials.
Implementation Resources
To support long-term sustainability, I created far more than the activities themselves.
Development included:
CAD design of custom maze components
3D printing reusable workshop materials
Creation of standardized station setup guides
Volunteer instruction materials
Library implementation documentation
Testing and refinement of each activity before the pilot launch
This documentation enables Regency Robotics to be reproduced consistently by libraries and student volunteers while supporting the broader RAIL expansion framework.
By the end of this phase, the first Regency Robotics workshop was fully designed, documented, and ready for pilot implementation at Regency Park Library.
Phase 3 – Pilot Workshop Launch
April 6, 2026
Introducing Regency Robotics
After completing the engineering design and implementation resources, the Regency Robotics pilot workshop officially launched at Regency Park Library. This marked the first real-world implementation of the program and served as the proof of concept for the broader RAIL (Robotics Advancement in Libraries) framework.
Rather than simply demonstrating robotics, participants rotated through structured engineering activity stations designed to introduce programming, problem-solving, and computational thinking in an accessible library setting.
The pilot workshop also validated the implementation materials, volunteer guides, and activity setup documentation created during the previous development phase.
Pilot Workshop Implementation
The pilot workshop welcomed 9 student participants (ages 8–12) who rotated through three engineering activity stations with assistance from LED Robotics student volunteers.
The workshop included:
Line Tracking Challenge
Maze Programming Challenge
Obstacle Course Navigation
Throughout the event, participants designed robot paths, programmed autonomous movement, tested solutions, and refined their approaches through repeated experimentation.
Library staff observed the workshop while volunteers followed the implementation guides, confirming that the program could be delivered successfully outside of a traditional classroom.
Students participate in the first Regency Robotics pilot workshop at Regency Park Library, validating the activity stations and implementation model.
LED Robotics student volunteers mentor participants throughout the pilot workshop, providing guidance while students test, troubleshoot, and refine their engineering solutions.
Engineering Validation
One of the primary objectives of the pilot workshop was to evaluate whether the engineering activities, documentation, and volunteer support model could be implemented consistently in a public library environment.
The pilot demonstrated that:
Activity stations operated successfully throughout the event.
Student volunteers effectively guided participants using standardized instructions.
Library staff could support workshop logistics without specialized robotics expertise.
Participants remained actively engaged throughout the workshop.
The pilot confirmed that the overall implementation model was practical, repeatable, and scalable, providing the foundation for future Regency Robotics workshops and the broader RAIL implementation framework.
Initial Results
Following the pilot workshop, participating families completed evaluation surveys that provided valuable feedback for future improvements.
Key findings included:
Strong overall workshop satisfaction
Increased student interest in robotics
High ratings for activity accessibility
Strong interest in attending future workshops
Lessons learned during the pilot directly informed the design of future activity stations, implementation resources, and recurring library workshops.
Phase 4 – Program Expansion & Community Outreach
April–June 2026
Expanding Beyond the Pilot
Following the successful pilot workshop, Regency Robotics continued to grow through additional workshops, community outreach events, and media recognition. Each event provided opportunities to refine existing activities, develop new engineering challenges, gather participant feedback, and introduce the program to new audiences.
These experiences demonstrated that the workshop model could be successfully adapted for different audiences while remaining accessible, engaging, and sustainable. Lessons learned from each event directly informed improvements to the Regency Robotics program and the broader RAIL implementation framework.
Girl Scouts participate in a hands-on robot navigation challenge during the Regency Robotics STEMapalooza outreach demonstration.
Guiding a participant through controlling a robot around obstacles while introducing basic engineering and problem-solving concepts.
Explaining the Regency Robotics workshop program and library partnership to families using the project posterboard, QR code resources, and a looping presentation featuring kickoff event photos and videos.
Community Outreach – STEMapalooza
April 2026
To introduce the program to additional families, I presented Regency Robotics during the Pasco Girl Scouts STEMapalooza event.
Visitors explored the robotics activities, viewed the engineering design process, interacted with demonstration robots, and learned about upcoming library workshops. A presentation board, QR codes, project videos, and hands-on demonstrations allowed families to experience the program before attending future workshops.
The outreach event expanded awareness of Regency Robotics while demonstrating how robotics activities could be presented in community settings beyond the library.
Brownie Girl Scouts learn about the Regency Robotics Gold Award project while exploring robotics concepts, engineering design, and STEM outreach activities.
Participants practice robot navigation and problem-solving skills by guiding an mBot through a cone obstacle course.
Brownies collaborated to build a large circular line-tracker course, introducing teamwork and hands-on robotics programming concepts.
Community Outreach – Brownie STEM Workshop
May 2026
Following the success of the pilot workshop and STEMapalooza, I visited a local Brownie Girl Scout troop to introduce younger students to robotics and engineering concepts.
Participants explored simplified robotics activities, experimented with programming, and learned how engineering design is used to solve real-world problems. The workshop also introduced families to the Regency Robotics library program and encouraged continued participation in future events.
This outreach demonstrated that the program could successfully engage students across a broader age range while expanding awareness of STEM opportunities available through local libraries.
Students participate in the expanded June Regency Robotics workshop featuring newly developed engineering activity stations.
Summer Workshop Expansion
June 2026
The second Regency Robotics library workshop marked the program's first major expansion.
Building on participant feedback from the pilot event, three new engineering stations were introduced:
Dinosaur Rescue Mission
Crazy Frog Programming Challenge
Robot Art Studio
The workshop expanded from three to six modular activity stations, increasing the variety of engineering concepts available to participants while maintaining the same structured implementation model.
Attendance also increased from 9 to 12 student participants, providing additional opportunities to evaluate the scalability of the workshop format and refine the implementation resources.
Feedback collected after the workshop confirmed continued participant satisfaction and provided valuable insights for future program development.
The workshop demonstrated that the program could successfully grow while maintaining a consistent implementation model, providing further validation of the RAIL framework.
Media Recognition – Tampa Bay 28 ABC News
June 2026
The continued growth of Regency Robotics attracted regional media attention in June 2026 when Tampa Bay 28 ABC News featured the program. The story highlighted the partnership with Regency Park Library, student leadership, and the expansion of affordable engineering education through public libraries.
The news coverage introduced Regency Robotics to a broader audience and helped validate the educational impact of the program while introducing the RAIL framework to a broader community audience.
Phase 5 – RAIL Framework & Long-Term Vision
Summer 2026 and Beyond
From Pilot Program to Framework
What began as a Girl Scout Gold Award project evolved into a sustainable library-based robotics program and ultimately the foundation of the RAIL (Robotics Advancement in Libraries) framework.
Rather than providing libraries with a one-time event, RAIL offers a structured implementation model that combines reusable engineering activities, standardized documentation, volunteer training resources, and scalable workshop design into a sustainable robotics education program.
The lessons learned throughout every phase of Regency Robotics continue to shape the framework as additional engineering activities, implementation resources, and educational materials are developed.
Ana introduces participants to the workshop structure and engineering activities before the event begins, demonstrating the standardized implementation model developed through the RAIL framework.
Future Development
Future development of the RAIL framework focuses on expanding both the engineering curriculum and the implementation resources available to libraries.
Planned areas of continued development include:
Expanding the library of modular engineering activity stations.
Developing additional volunteer and facilitator training materials.
Refining implementation documentation using participant feedback.
Supporting recurring robotics workshops at Regency Park Library.
Preparing the framework for adoption by additional public libraries.
Continuing partnerships with student volunteers and community organizations.
The long-term goal is to provide libraries with an affordable, repeatable engineering education framework that introduces students to robotics, programming, computational thinking, and problem-solving through hands-on learning experiences.
Student volunteers prepare reusable activity stations before the workshop, supporting the standardized implementation model developed through the RAIL framework.
Project Impact
Today, Regency Robotics serves as the pilot implementation and ongoing testbed for the RAIL framework, allowing new engineering activities, implementation resources, and workshop improvements to be evaluated through real-world library workshops.
The project has demonstrated that:
Public libraries can successfully host structured engineering education programs.
Student volunteers can serve as effective mentors and workshop facilitators.
Modular engineering activities allow workshops to grow over time.
Standardized documentation supports long-term sustainability.
Community partnerships strengthen STEM education beyond the classroom.
These outcomes provide a strong foundation for expanding engineering education to additional libraries and communities.
Timeline Summary
📅 January 2026 – Project planning and library partnership established
⚙️ February–March 2026 – Engineering activities designed and implementation resources developed
🚀 April 2026 – Pilot workshop successfully launched
🌱 April–June 2026 – Community outreach, workshop expansion, and regional media recognition
📚 Summer 2026 and Beyond – Development of the RAIL framework for long-term library implementation
Final Reflection
Regency Robotics demonstrates how a student-led engineering project can grow beyond a single event into a sustainable community program. By combining engineering design, educational planning, volunteer leadership, and community partnerships, the project established a repeatable model for expanding access to STEM education through public libraries.
As Regency Robotics continues to grow, each workshop contributes new ideas, participant feedback, and implementation improvements that strengthen the RAIL framework. Together, they demonstrate how engineering, community partnerships, and student leadership can create sustainable STEM education opportunities for libraries and the communities they serve.
The Regency Robotics student volunteer team following the Summer 2026 workshop. Their leadership, mentoring, and technical support helped transform a Girl Scout Gold Award project into a sustainable library STEM program.
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