The College of Education & Human Development's Center for Learning and Literacy Wolf Pack Bots Robotics Team, also known as Los Lobos Robóticos, recently won the Breakthrough Award at the Northern Nevada LEGO® Championship at the University of Nevada, Reno. This accolade acknowledges their remarkable progress in both the Robot Game and Innovation Project, and reflecting exemplary Core Values. As a result, the team has been given the opportunity to represent Northern Nevada at the esteemed Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) FLL US Open Event in June, where they will compete alongside over 100 teams from around the world.
Comprising students primarily from multilingual backgrounds in grades four through eight, the Wolf Pack Bots team hails from various Title 1 schools across Washoe County. Embracing diversity, the team includes members who identify as Latinx Spanish speakers, Indigenous (Shoshone Paiute) and African American. Notably, this year's team welcomes several newcomers, with five out of seven members participating in robotics competitions for the first time.
Some of the students are part of our E.L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy program, led by Rachel Salas, Ph.D., which uses a multimodal structure to incorporate robotics with literacy to facilitate academic success. Salas began the Center's FIRST® LEGO® League robotics program in 2017 to help children gain confidence in themselves and their abilities. Salas was also honored with the coach/mentor award at FLL Nevada State Championship in 2021.
"The students who have decided to participate in the program are not always the students who are most successful in the language arts; rather, it's those who might find themselves challenged by a certain aspect of literacy who want to participate and learn," Salas said. "Students who normally struggle in school for various reasons have found a place where they get to shine, and that's really important to them and me. Some students often don't feel comfortable or successful academically or socially, but they have found a sense of belonging in our robotics environment."
Over the past seven years, the Wolf Pack Bots team, guided by Salas, has achieved notable success, reaching the Championship round six times and consistently earning awards. Their journey includes participation in the Western Edge Remote Championship, as well as securing the state of Nevada Global Innovation nomination, leading to their involvement in the 2022 Global Innovation judging event.
Dean Donald Easton-Brooks and two students showing their robots. "Through the power of education, the Wolf Pack Bots Robotics Team exemplifies the transformative potential when the opportunity is provided," Donald Easton-Brooks, Ph.D., dean of the College of Education & Human Development said. "From multilingual backgrounds and Title 1 schools, these students, under the guidance of Dr. Rachel Salas, demonstrated that excellence comes in all shapes and sizes. In their journey, we find the unwavering belief that every student, regardless of background or circumstance, deserves the opportunity to shine."
