The SolarSPELL team held a Build Day at the ASU Polytechnic Campus on April 21, 2018. Thirty-five volunteers, including ASU students, faculty, staff, friends, family, alumni, and high school students gave up the majority of their Saturday to help build SolarSPELLs.
These digital libraries will make their way to Samoa, Fiji, and Comoros where Peace Corps volunteers will use them in their communities and schools, as well as to Rwanda and Tanzania, where Biomedical Engineering Technicians will use them in their rural hospitals and health care clinics. Either way, SolarSPELL presents an opportunity to bring valuable information to those currently without it—a worthwhile way to spend a Saturday, for sure!
The day started with a SolarSPELL background and overview from Dr. Laura Hosman, while the veteran SolarSPELL team members simultaneously set up the assembly line in the Build Room. Everyone connected to the SolarSPELL East Africa version of the library before heading over to the Build Room.
Next, the volunteers were given a walk-through of the steps involved in building the SolarSPELLs by Miles Mabey, SolarSPELL’s Buildmaster. Volunteers chose their specialty area to work in.
And finally, the fun begins, and the finished SolarSPELLs start to pile up.
Meanwhile, there is plenty of time for conversation, laughs, and getting to know new volunteers and fellow SolarSPELL team members.
We look forward to the next Build Day in the Fall semester!
Special thanks to Emily Blau and Chloe Scott for taking the pictures.
