Core Team

SolarSPELL Staff

Laura Hosman

Co-Founder and Director

Dr. Laura Hosman is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University, holding a joint appointment in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and in The Polytechnic School. Her action-oriented work focuses on the role for new technologies in developing countries, particularly in education. Presently, she brings her passion for experiential learning to the classroom and beyond, through real-world-focused, project-based courses that bring students and student-built technology to the field for implementation.

Bruce Baikie

Co-Founder and Tech Advisor

Bruce Baikie is Senior Sustainability Fellow and Adjunct Faculty at Arizona State University. He has worked for many years as an ICT engineer in developing regions on sustainable computing, wireless broadband networks, and capacity building through partnerships and local ICT entrepreneurs. He is leveraging his extensive experience in the energy and telecom industries, 3 years as Executive Director of Inveneo, and 17 years at Sun Microsystems as telecom industry expert, and background in engineering and implementing ICT4D projects. His areas of expertise include: wireless networking, eco-data centers, micro-computing, and solar powering ICT. Bruce has mentored ASU SolarSPELL student teams since 2016 and has traveled and supported the training and implementation trips.

Heather Ross

Co-Director, SolarSPELL Health

Heather M. Ross, PhD, DNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, is the co-director of the SolarSPELL Health initiative. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at ASU jointly appointed in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the College of Global Futures School for the Future of Innovation in Society. She holds affiliations in the Barrett Honors College, School for Human Evolution and Social Change, and is a Global Future Scientist at ASU’s Global Futures Laboratory. Her teaching and research centers on health equity and policy. From 2019-2022, she served as Special Advisor to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego focusing on issues related to public health and health equity. Dr. Ross maintains a clinical practice as a nurse practitioner in cardiac electrophysiology.

Sara Jordan

Library Information Specialist Lead

Sara Jordan has been in the library field since 2016, having earned her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington in 2021. With abundant experience in digital collections and a passion for community, she cares for SolarSPELL’s library collections and strives for equitable, open access to educational information for learners around the world.

Rachel Nova

Project Manager

Rachel Nova’s journey to SolarSPELL has been shaped by her belief that everyone deserves equitable access to education. In her 10 years of international experience, she has served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, taught English in France, and coordinated educational programs for refugee women in Arizona. With a BA in International Affairs and an MA in Learning Sciences, she is lifelong learner who champions an asset-based approach to her work.
Cassie Barrett smiles for a headshot.

Cassie Barrett

Student Engagement Coordinator

Cassie is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Rwanda, 2017-2019) who taught English to youth and adult populations in her community. She utilized SolarSPELL firsthand at her school and started a SolarSPELL club that supported secondary students with improving digital literacy skills and ICT knowledge. Cassie graduated with an MA in Peace and Justice from the Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego in 2023. She is incredibly passionate about restorative justice, educational equity and human rights and is excited to work with the amazing students that make SolarSPELL possible.

Abby Johnson

Communications Specialist

Abby Johnson brings a people-centered and data-driven approach to her role as communications specialist, informed by her experiences working in higher education, local government and international development contexts. With formal education in anthropology, journalism and sustainability, as well as field experience as an agriculture volunteer in the Peace Corps (Togo, ’16-’19), she is passionate about telling stories that motivate people to become agents of change and increasing access to the information that can help them do so.
Jacob next to a tower of small rocks

Jacob Shaeffer

Web Administrator

As an ASU alumnus, Jacob Shaeffer is proud to bring a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science to the SolarSpell team. With nearly a decade of software development and systems administration experience, Jacob is passionate about SolarSpell’s goal to bring accessible electronic learning to the world.

Students

Present

  • Arjun Agrawal, Spring 2024
  • Rawiya Ali, Spring 2024
  • Souzan Brimo, Spring 2024
  • Erin Burgard, Spring 2024
  • Kaili Duane, Spring 2024
  • Lauren Fink, Spring 2024
  • Abhijit Girish, Spring 2024
  • Saharash Goenka, Spring 2024
  • Loreli Hale, Spring 2024
  • Hannah Johnson, Spring 2024
  • Kashish Khatri, Spring 2024
  • Brandon Le, Spring 2024
  • Zian Mahfuz, Spring 2024
  • John Nguyen, Spring 2024
  • Fimiyo Viviane Ouattara, Spring 2024
  • Archisha Pamecha, Spring 2024
  • Madeline Pennell, Spring 2024
  • Naveen Ramesh, Spring 2024
  • Niloofar Sahimi, Spring 2024
  • Rishikumar Senthilvel, Spring 2024
  • Zoe Winick, Spring 2024

    Sophia Zuo, Spring 2024

Past

  • Rawiya Ali, Fall 2023
  • Souzan Brimo, Fall 2023
  • Erin Burgard, Fall 2023
  • Mason Calhoun, Fall 2023
  • Ren Dickson, Fall 2023
  • Ana Feinson, Fall 2023
  • Loreli Hale, Fall 2023
  • Jusreen Kaur, Fall 2023
  • Kashish Khatri, Fall 2023
  • Madeline Pennell, Fall 2023
  • Nitesh Puri, Fall 2023
  • Rajvir Singh, Fall 2023
  • Jacob Underwood, Fall 2023
  • Haniyah Williams, Fall 2023
  • Zoe Winick, Fall 2023
  • Sarina Asher, Spring 2023
  • Aspen Carroll, Spring 2023
  • Nora Khaled, Spring 2023
  • Brandon Le, Spring 2023
  • Audrey Nagle, Spring 2023
  • Sierra Planck, Spring 2023
  • Dani Prasad, Spring 2023
  • Kathleen Rafferty, Spring 2023
  • Edwin Rodriguez, Spring 2023
  • Janvi Siddhapura, Spring 2023
  • Emily Smith, Spring 2023
  • Melissa Tovar, Spring 2023
  • Sofia Zimmerman, Spring 2023
  • Reed Hancock, Fall 2022
  • Emma Wymore, Fall 2022
  • Helena Goldbaum, Fall 2022
  • Christina Sturgeon, Fall 2022
  • Keenan Carter, Summer 2022
  • Joe Nixon, Summer 2022
  • Allyson Huang, Summer 2022
  • Stanley Liu, Summer 2022
  • Juniper Neff, Summer 2022
  • Brooke Hesselfeldt, Summer 2022
  • Julie Lam, Summer 2022
  • Joshua Lubin, Summer 2022
  • Atharva Gupta, Summer 2022
  • Alie Shbur, Summer 2022
  • Audrey Zelinka, Summer 2022
  • Mary Haddad, Spring 2022
  • Saketh Pabolu, Spring 2022
  • Malin Tan, Spring 2022
  • Daniel Lu, Spring 2022
  • Michelle Zhao, Spring 2022
  • Sritharini Radhakrishnan, Spring 2022
  • Katie Halmekangas, Spring 2022
  • Christopher Duthie, Spring 2022
  • Christine Otaluka, Spring 2022
  • Haniyah Williams, Spring 2022
  • Benjamin Harvey Spencer, Spring 2022

Present

  • Tatum Albertson, DNP
  • Jennifer Ayala, Learning Sciences 
  • Brittany Baike, PhD Candidate
  • Joanne Chang, Learning Sciences Program
  • Roby Cherian, DNP  
  • Alexandra Gianakopoulos, MLIS
  • Casey Gibson, MLIS
  • Nureet Gross, DNP 
  • Maria Gonzales, DNP 
  • Felicia Hou, Learning Sciences Program
  • Mak Jones, MLIS
  • Serenity Jones, Biology 
  • Noha Labani, PhD Candidate
  • Taliayah Martin, DNP
  • Julia Miller, Global Health
  • Alexandria Mitchell, MLIS
  • Thomasina Muckenfuss, MLIS
  • Deeksha Sunethra Rai, User Experience
  • Sinclair Santos, DNP
  • Sameera Shaik, Global Health
  • Hannah Shulski, MLIS
  • Adnan Turan, Educational Policy and Evaluation
  • Leilani Valenzuela, DNP

    Ryan Watling, Global Technology and Development

Past

  • Madeline Aaron, DNP
  • Tatum Albertson, DNP 
  • Brittany Baike, PhD Candidate 
  • Erin Burgess, DNP
  • Roby Cherian, DNP 
  • Angela Delaney, Nursing Education
  • Maria Gonzales, DNP 
  • Nureet Gross, DNP 
  • Jessica Janssen, Nursing Education
  • Paye Kialain, Data Analytics
  • Noha Labani, PhD Candidate
  • Stephanie Truax, DNP
  • Adnan Turan, Educational Policy and Evaluation
  • Rachel Scott, MLIS
  • Ryan Watling, Global Technology and Development
  • Jenny Ayala, Learning Sciences
  • Cindy Bonilla-Cirocco, Museum Studies
  • Mariner Cheney, MBA
  • Libbie Farrell, GTD
  • Allison Hoops, GTD
  • Paye Kialain, Management of Technology
  • Noha Labani, PhD Candidate
  • Quinn McKissock, MLIS
  • Samuel Roller, Middle East Studies
  • Hugo Montiel, PhD Candidate
  • Max Rosen, MLIS
  • Colin Braun, MLIS
  • Kat Fritz, MLIS
  • Desiree Melvin, MGH
  • Ashley Mooney, DNP
  • Colby Howell, ERM
  • Yifan Zhou, MCs
  • Jessica Ottinger, MLIS
  • Soraya Andriamiarisoa, MLIS
  • Sharon Janis, MLIS
  • Ceng Cui, GIS
  • Mohamad Al Zein
  • Mosab Abu Hammad
  • Marwa Abdou
  • Hala Shaheen, GTD
  • Jill Egan, MLIS certificate
  • Siddharth Mehta, MsC
  • Rehab Meckawy, International Health Management
  • Hong-Ting Chen, User Experience
  • Lubna Alsaka, GTD-AID
  • Lyndee Anderson, DNP
  • Katie Andrusaitis, DNP
  • Amanda de Carvalho, GTD
  • Julie DeGregorio, DNP
  • Betty Dray, DNP
  • Stephanie Duran, MLIS
  • Primrose Dzenga, PhD
  • Juan Garcia, MLIS
  • Amira Jalaghi, DNP
  • Sue Ann Lau, MLIS
  • Grace Li, DNP
  • Kate Macias, DNP
  • Osamah Naji, GTD
  • Ashlyn Nam, DNP
  • Heidi Nechy, Nursing Education
  • Suzan Omar Elmajali, MsC
  • Monica Ramirez, DNP
  • Ashley Reise, MLIS
  • Kimberli Spencer, DNP
  • Kaitlyn Tafaro, Nursing Education
  • Rachel Thompson, DNP
  • Elizabeth Wolfe, MBA
  • Brittany Zwijack, Nursing Education
  • Alyssa Lehn, Doctoral Nursing Student
  • Amira Jalaghi, Doctoral Nursing Student
  • Katie Andrusaitis, Doctoral Nursing Student
  • Gabriela Martinez, Digital Audience Strategy
  • Jared Sidman, GTD

Present

Past

  • Reuben Aboteseem, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Korbi Adams, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Jennifer Ayala, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Chia-Yu Chang, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Jacob Dang, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Danielle Du, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Amy Flores, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Hui-Fan Hou, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Yuliya Hrushyk, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Mika Mandeville, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Joss Divin Ndikubwayo, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Fricilia Chistin Opur, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Cyrrena Rubio, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Ainur Satekova, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Keyondrea Scott, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Whitney Sobel, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Yu Ye, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Yuliya, Learning Sciences Fall 2023
  • Hunter Kahn, Fall 2022
  • Tor Christian Tjorham, Fall 2022
  • Elie Alkassouf, Summer 2022
  • Alexandria Bisher, Summer 2022
  • Iman Isanovic, Summer 2022
  • Samantha Lynch Johnson, Summer 2022
  • Michael Krafft, Summer 2022
  • Marieta Nedyalkova, Summer 2022
  • Marcel Putrus, Summer 2022
  • Sage Sirotkin, Summer 2022
  • Jon Tibbetts, Summer 2022
  • Max Gao, Spring 2022
  • Reed Hancock, Spring 2022
  • Rachel Fisher, Spring 2022
  • Anugraha Pal,  Spring 2022
  • Carlos Mendez-Arias, Spring 2022
  • Deegan Brady, Fall 2021
  • Vanderson Cunjuca, Fall 2021
  • Randie Domek, Fall 2021
  • Max Gao, Fall 2021
  • Reed Hancock, Fall 2021
  • Kyle Johnston, Fall 2021
  • Mikayla Johnston, Fall 2021
  • Xingchen Li, Fall 2021
  • Juan Ramirez, Fall 2021
  • Brittany Tews, Fall 2021
  • Ashley Tse, Fall 2021

Fall 2020 & Spring 2021 Software Engineering Capstone

  • Nicholas Hunter
  • Eric Magoffin
  • Tyler Rainboth
  • Daniella Urteaga-Diaz
  • Dallas Zinn

Fall 2019 & Spring 2020 Software Engineering Capstone

  • Curtis Smith
  • Jess Valdez
  • Christopher Risser
  • Catherine Khongsaly
  • Tony Conrad
  • Alper Mencek
  • David Plotzke
  • Jeremiah Mille
  • Joshua Paragoso
  • Tanner Zuran

Spring 2019 Software Engineering Grad Capstone (SolarSPELL Digital Library Rapid Prototype Tool)

  • Gopika Pai
  • Maitreyi Thakkar
  • Rishabh Modi
  • Sangeetha Swaminathan
  • Shubham Vyas
  • Aashita Priya

Spring 2019 Software Engineering Grad Capstone (SolarSPELL Application & Module Integration)

  • Binbin Yan
  • Pratik Bartakke
  • Supriya Ramaswamy lyer
  • Abhinab Mohanty
  • Mitali Kulkarni
  • Saurabh Prakash

Spring 2019 Thunderbird Capstone (MySolarPi)

  • Brenda Rubio-Sanchez
  • Isaac Miller
  • Kylee San Miguel
  • Nick Shively
  • Ka Peng Nicole Lei
  • Omar Alothiam
  • Ricardo (Ritchie) Reyes

Present

Past

  • Pavithra Devi Rajkumar, Master’s, Software Development
  • Phuc H Tran, Undergrad, Videography
  • Matthew Jurenka, Undergrad, Software Development
  • Lee Chiffelle, Undergrad, Special Projects
  • Maddie Arnold, Undergrad, Spring 2020 – Fall 2020 – Social Media Communications Aide
  • Vignesh Mahesh, Grad, Spring 2020 – Electrical Circuit Designer
  • Jude Schroder, Undergrad, Spring 2020 – Videographer
  • Sai Cheekatimalla, Grad, Spring 2019 – Metadata Aide
  • Vasishta Harekal, Grad, Spring 2019 – Web Developer
  • Tharun Kumar Viralam Sreedar, Grad, Summer 2019 – Metadata Specialist

Volunteers

  • Karen Busch, Spring 2024
  • Karen Busch, Fall 2023
  • Benjamin Lewanika, Fall 2023