The Wolf Pack Bots are celebrating another standout season. After earning the 1st Place Innovation Award in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Carson City qualifier, the team has advanced to the FLL Championship at Mendive Middle School on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. Their project this year goes far beyond robotics. The students researched, wrote and illustrated a children’s book about Great Basin archaeology in English as part of the FLL Innovation Project for the qualifier. They have since written a second version in Spanish to reach the Spanish speaking community and to present to the judges at the championship.

The book began with a simple question: What is a real-world problem faced by archaeologists, and how can we help solve it? Through early research and speaking with experts, the team discovered that people often hold misconceptions, confusing archaeologists with treasure hunters or paleontologists searching for dinosaur bones. They also noticed that there were no children’s books focused specifically on the archaeology of the Great Basin, the place they call home. The Wolf Pack Bots decided to change that.

To build an accurate and engaging story, the team turned to experts at the University of Nevada, Reno. They met with Marin Pilloud, Ph.D., professor of anthropology, and Shelby Saper, a doctoral student specializing in Great Basin archaeology. The team, comprised of Washoe County students in grades 4-8,  learned about scientific field methods, how archaeologists work with communities and why public education matters and is needed. The team really enjoyed Shelby Saper’s stories about working in the Great Basin and encountering pack rats. They decided to make Shelby their main character of the story and have sent her drafts for comments, which she has generously provided.

The students also connected with children’s author Melissa Cook, who writes under the pen name Calla Lane. She offered advice on narrative structure, pacing and how to capture and keep young readers’ attention. Her guidance helped the team refine how they explained archaeology in clear, kid-friendly language in both English and Spanish.

The resulting book is more than a competition project. It reflects weeks of research, collaboration, revision and creative problem-solving. And that process is exactly what the RSP Multimodal Literacy & Robotics Program is designed to nurture.

Led by Rachel Salas, Ph.D., with the support of undergraduates Georgia Petroff, Bella Rose, Chase (Alexander) Webb, Charlie Wise, graduate students Sheila Lizarraga, Ja Ja Chang, and University alumna, Nanami Duncan, the RSP Multimodal Literacy & Robotics Program integrates robotics into the Center for Learning & Literacy’s literacy services. Students build reading, writing, listening, speaking and research skills by engaging in hands-on robotics and real-world inquiry projects.

“It is interesting, I am often asked why a literacy professional is involved in robotics,” Salas remarked. “My immediate response is that literacy is integral to all academic domains. I was once told by a supervisor to 'stay in my own lane,' meaning stick to literacy. Well, this is my lane. I feel very comfortable at the intersection of STEM and literacy.

"I want all my team members to believe this is their lane too. I want them to see themselves in STEM if that is what they want to pursue. I also want them to see the real-world connections between literacy and STEM, but most importantly, I want them to feel confident to follow their own path.  I am incredibly proud of this team and all of my past team members – several of whom are now undergraduates here at the University of Nevada, Reno. The Wolf Pack Bots know how to work hard but still have fun, too!”