ASU SolarSPELL Initiative
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asu-solarspell.bsky.social
ASU SolarSPELL Initiative
@asu-solarspell.bsky.social
Empowering offline communities with localized libraries and information literacy skill-building | World's first offline digital library with integrated solar

https://solarspell.org/
Last month, we trained the new cohort of Peace Corps Vanuatu Volunteers (PCVs) & their local counterparts. 🇻🇺 We also visited 2 of the PCVs we trained in September — Maggie uses the library to prepare health trainings & Baylea's school uses SolarSPELL to find teaching materials for their students.
December 4, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Incredibly proud to announce that SolarSPELL has won the Global Education Prize at the 2025 QS #ReimagineEducation Awards! It's a huge honor to be selected from pool of 1,656 submissions & we're so excited to think about how many more learners we'll be able to reach thanks to this award! 🎉
December 3, 2025 at 11:01 PM
We're proud to announce that out of nearly 800 submissions, SolarSPELL has been selected as one of the top 100 education innovations to watch out for in 2026! Check us out in the #HundrEDGlobalCollection from HundrED!
Download the report at: hundred.org/.../hundred-...
November 26, 2025 at 8:43 PM
We've been hard at work this year developing our 1st library collection for #WestAfrica with our partners at Tostan! Our recent workshop + content curation training with them in Senegal was a huge success, and we're so excited to launch this pilot next year!
#CommunityEmpowerment #DigitalLibrary
November 24, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Meet Nameera, an #ASU sophomore pursuing a BA in Global Studies & a BS in Economics. As a Cultural Content Curator, she is expanding access to locally relevant educational materials, helping learners see more of themselves in the library. 🌍 Thank you for your dedication, Nameera!
October 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Missed our fall #newsletter last month? 📰 Catch up on our latest headlines, like new agricultural impact data, returning to Vanuatu, and our largest intern cohort to date: bit.ly/SPELLnews-FA25

Never miss an update by signing up for our newsletter at solarspell.org/newsletter
October 21, 2025 at 10:12 PM
We’re excited to feature Sean, an #ASU alum who is helping us make our libraries more accessible and user-friendly! Learn about his experience interning with SolarSPELL: solarspell.org/designing-fo...

@asuengineering.bsky.social
#StudentSuccess #GlobalImpact #UserExperience #Accessibility
October 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Proud to be included in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 list in the #SocialImpact category! This recognition will help open doors for us to reach more offline learners with the information & skills they need to create a better future.

time.com/collections/...

#TIMEBestInventions #ASU #1innovation
October 9, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Thank you to the amazing volunteers who participated in this weekend's Curate-a-Thon, curating & tagging 82 new resources for our Pacific Islands education library! When we return to Vanuatu next month, we'll now be able to update libraries with new videos, national curricula & Bislama storybooks. 📚
October 7, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Abby, an #ASU Media Arts & Sciences major and Graphic Design Intern designs library banners and creates illustrations that celebrate the culture, community & landscapes of the communities where we work. Thank you, Abby for your dedication to supporting SolarSPELL's mission!
September 26, 2025 at 11:20 PM
SolarSPELL has been shortlisted for the Access, Diversity & Inclusion Award at the #QSReimagine Education Awards! 🏅 Of >1,600 submissions, we're honored to be ranked in the top 20% among such an inspiring group of innovators! Thanks to all who have contributed to our mission to make this possible.
September 18, 2025 at 6:21 PM
10 years ago we piloted the very first SolarSPELL libraries in Vanuatu & Micronesia. This week we returned to Vanuatu for the first time since 2020 to train the next generation of Peace Corps Volunteers on our new-and-improved libraries! 🎉 Stay tuned for more as we celebrate our 10-year anniversary!
September 17, 2025 at 10:25 PM
So grateful to have participated in another inspiring #STEMtasticAdventures! It was a privilege to share the stage with fellow innovators & speak about both SolarSPELL's offline-first approach to empowering #STEMeducation & our pioneering work to create offline #AI learning tools for rural schools.
September 11, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Happy #InternationalLiteracyDay! We're proud to support literacy champions like librarian Claudine by empowering them with locally relevant storybooks. You can empower more librarians by helping us bring SolarSPELL digital libraries to 5 rural Rwandan communities: www.gofundme.com/f/empower-rw...
September 8, 2025 at 11:25 PM
While in Rwanda, we also met with Appolo to talk more about the communities that will be receiving SolarSPELL #libraries. Thanks to your support, we now have 1 library funded, just 4 more to go! We hope you'll continue to help by sharing with friends & family: www.gofundme.com/f/empower-rw... 😊
August 14, 2025 at 6:58 PM
🌱 Recently got to present to all 93 B2R Farms Fellows, who've been using SolarSPELL to help train farmers in #ConservationAgriculture. We shared both insights from farmer survey data & news from partners in South Sudan. Great to meet new fellows & see familiar faces!
#Training #DigitalLibrary #SDGs
August 13, 2025 at 8:53 PM
If you missed our last #newsletter, head to bit.ly/SPELLnews-SU25 to get caught up: Meet our new digital librarian, learn about our fundraiser to bring more SolarSPELLs to Rwanda & hear from some of our stellar interns! Never miss an update by subscribing to our newsletter: solarspell.org/newsletter
August 11, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Our partners at Empower Farmers South Sudan are using the SolarSPELL agriculture #library to help them create a demo farm & train farmers in conservation #agriculture. We just led a #training with their entire team to help them grow their research & training skills even more.
#SustainableDevelopment
August 8, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Thanks to your generosity, we've raised enough to provide Kaseke Community Library with a SolarSPELL digital library, along with training on how to incorporate it into their programs. With your help, we can empower 4 more Rwandan libraries with SolarSPELLs: www.gofundme.com/f/empower-rw...
August 6, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Co-founders Laura Hosman & Bruce Baikie recently returned from #STEMtasticAdventuresAfrica! Laura presented on how offline digital libraries can be used in #STEMeducation to keep students safe, focused & engaged. And Bruce gave a talk on our work with Next Lab to create #offlineAI.
August 4, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Today's #Trivia: What % of our interns this semester are #ASU students? Make your guesses in the comments, and come back Saturday for the answer!

Happy National #InternAppreciation Day to all of our incredible interns! Thank you for choosing to be a part of the SolarSPELL family. 🥰
July 31, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Meet Elvine Umutoniwase, a Conservation Agriculture Digital Course Developer & alum of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture! 🌱🌍 She's been working hard to localize our digital Foundations for Farming lessons to better meet the needs of Rwandan farmers. Thank you, Elvine!
July 25, 2025 at 10:31 PM
We’re excited to highlight Sarah, a Masters of Information Science student at the University of Michigan. Sarah serves as an Arabic Cultural Content Curator with SolarSPELL, playing a key role in enhancing our Middle East Education Library. 📚🌍
Thanks, Sarah, for improving global access to knowledge!
July 11, 2025 at 7:28 PM
We’re excited to highlight Caitlin Clark, a junior at #ASU majoring in Sustainability & Urban Planning. As an STEM Content Curation intern, her contributions are crucial in making #STEM resources more accessible to global learners. Thank you, Caitlin, for your dedication!
#StudentSuccess #GlobalEd
July 3, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Meet Ajua Franklin, an Agricultural Engineering grad of Rwanda Polytechnic & Agriculture Digital Course Developer with SolarSPELL! He's creating a digital interactive training course in Kinyarwanda to give Rwandan farmers the tools to practice sustainable agriculture & improve their livelihoods. 🌾
June 27, 2025 at 10:19 PM