# Dean's Letter Issue #11 *A Newsletter to Empower Solana Power Users⚡️* By [Dean's Letter](https://paragraph.com/@deans-letter) · 2023-08-01 solana, defi, daos --- Welcome to the 11th issue of Dean's Letter!  Here's a rundown of all of the past weeks happenings in the Solana ecosystem as well as in [Dean's List network state.](https://twitter.com/deanslistDAO)  Hot takes 🔥 ------------ * **Top Ledger** 📊 - Solana Programs dashboard * **The Grape Vine 🍇 (Solana news)** - Solana DeFi and the next bull run, Marginfi gaining more traction, Solana Foundation committed to its promise of delivering its goals  * **Dean's List Update🦍** \- quick chat with guys at top ledger, active work for members  **Top Ledger** 📊 ----------------- Last week, we sat down with [@shahiabhinav2](https://twitter.com/shahiabhinav2) to discuss the latest [Top Ledger](https://topledger.xyz/) dashboard, which allows you to view important metrics for Solana programs. including, daily gas used, most active wallets, and more! [![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/youtube/play.png)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C--SXxWuQcw) **The Grape Vine 🍇 In and around Solana**  ------------------------------------------- Solana DeFi is gearing up with the emergence of incentive programs like **Cypher**, and **MarginFi** trading points. People are also anticipating a couple events in the space, like  the **SolBlazes** rumored airdrop. Equally, the release of **Jupiter v3** will increase the efficiency of routing swaps. These and more are what's making people super bullish on Solana DeFi which is slowly heating up for the next bull.  [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1659213235898425352/1OnuLOW6_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq) [Lightspeed](https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq) [@Lightspeedpodhq](https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq/status/1682079416049074176) "you need to be super adaptive to where we are in the stage of the cycle, and [@solana](https://twitter.com/solana) has been that" - [@macbrennan](https://twitter.com/macbrennan) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1682079296956018689/pu/img/eRaRcJ-PTTOjWtqU.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 44](https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq/status/1682079416049074176)[ 1:25 PM • Jul 20, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq/status/1682079416049074176) Austin Federa shares some great insights on the work going on at **Solana Foundation** during a live podcast with The Cove Podcast. being a not-for-profit arm of the Solana ecosystem, their goal borders round adoption, advancement, decentralisation and security of Solana blockchain. This is one take we agree with as Solana Foundation is very instrumental to the work we do at Dean's List. They believe in our vision and so far are our biggest client.  Catch up on the conversation right here 👇 [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1521487128005332995/Lkpr2hmh_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/TheCovePodcast) [The Cove](https://twitter.com/TheCovePodcast) [@TheCovePodcast](https://twitter.com/TheCovePodcast) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/TheCovePodcast/status/1683441310466818049) ![🧱](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f9f1.png)![🧪](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f9ea.png) [@Austin\_Federa](https://twitter.com/Austin_Federa) lays out the differences between the [@SolanaFndn](https://twitter.com/SolanaFndn) foundation & [@solana](https://twitter.com/solana) labs, and how they collaborate and work together. \- Listen more on Spotify: [bit.ly/43EzwIh](https://t.co/zJlxiJj217) \- Watch on Youtube: [youtu.be/mLyHwAeqa34](https://t.co/NBDIrmKzRo) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1683440921331769345/pu/img/sUVi4cEaNbTxqjPe.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 27](https://twitter.com/TheCovePodcast/status/1683441310466818049)[ 7:37 AM • Jul 24, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/TheCovePodcast/status/1683441310466818049) Solana blockchain keeps proving its mass adoption with its DeFi app, Marginfi, gaining quick traction. JSYK, Marginfi started as a service for larger players looking to invest funds. But they recently noticed the importance of a consumer facing app, so they've provided a user interface for their lending market. They have also had to consistently raise the deposit caps of their assets week-over-week, showing strong signs of adoption [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1678977796083789825/6LZ3IF5Y_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/blknoiz06) [Ansem 🎒](https://twitter.com/blknoiz06) [@blknoiz06](https://twitter.com/blknoiz06) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/blknoiz06/status/1683915734689144839) solana currently has the fastest growing defi app in crypto w/ [@marginfi](https://twitter.com/marginfi) the fastest growing consumer app in crypto w/ [@drip\_haus](https://twitter.com/drip_haus) \+ the best UX experience out of all L1s & the most performant chain by throughput & TPS by a factor of 10x solana summer in full swing [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 775](https://twitter.com/blknoiz06/status/1683915734689144839)[ 3:02 PM • Jul 25, 2023 ](https://twitter.com/blknoiz06/status/1683915734689144839) * **Hivemapper** uses the Solana blockchain to create a community-powered, incentive-driven online map. [ ![](https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fce0c7323a97a4d91bd0baa7490ec9139%2F21501e07e05142c487522701c3d2d337) https://solana.com Case Study: Hivemapper decentralizes mapping with better real-time data and community incentives ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hivemapper takes advantage of Solana's scalability to create a community-powered, incentive-driven map. ](https://solana.com/news/case-study-hivemapper) * The **Helium community** minted nearly one million hotspots as NFTs using state compression.🔥 [ ![](https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fce0c7323a97a4d91bd0baa7490ec9139%2F4fa7fddbc841494ba3d784e53af6cb78) https://solana.com Case Study: Helium brings real-world 5G networks on Solana ---------------------------------------------------------- Helium, a decentralized physical infrastructure network, migrated to Solana to take advantage of high throughput and low costs. ](https://solana.com/news/case-study-helium) * **GainForest** uses the transparent nature of Solana to power a dashboard of verifiable, trackable donations that ensure donors reach the local people maintaining forests directly.  [ ![](https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fce0c7323a97a4d91bd0baa7490ec9139%2Fa0710ff64e4845059091faccf687c4f2) https://solana.com Case Study: GainForest brings transparency to climate preservation efforts using blockchain technology ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GainForest's Solana-powered "NFTrees" helps donors track the health of the forests they are supporting. ](https://solana.com/news/case-study-gainforest) * Solana is positioned to lead crypto gaming pack with its **PlayGG event.**  [ ![](https://cdn.decrypt.co/resize/1024/height/512/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Decrypt-Wallpaper-Format-81-gID_7.png) https://decrypt.co Solana Wants to Lead the Crypto Gaming Charge-Here's How - Decrypt ------------------------------------------------------------------ At the PlayGG event, the Solana Foundation shared its strategy for changing the rough narrative around blockchain games. ](https://decrypt.co/150411/solana-crypto-gaming-charge) **Dean's List Update**  ----------------------- We had the pleasure of speaking with guys from top ledger. Check out their dashboard to get a hint of what to expect and listen in on the full conversation with the link below  [ https://analytics.topledger.xyz Webpack App ----------- ](https://analytics.topledger.xyz/tl/public/dashboards/oIEupNW8g4Ua9C64JvUsYRLNlOZej940x341KaAH?p_Program%20Address=24Uqj9JCLxUeoC3hGfh5W3s9FM9uCHDS2SG3LYwBpyTi) ### **Active work for members**  We're all about quality feedback and we keep tweaking the process to arrive at perfection. Here are some active feedback sessions you can hop on * Align 2nd hackathon - reward pool of 650 USDC (review)  * Sporting Labs 2nd hackathon - reward pool of 650 USDC (review)  * Case study - reward pool of 3,000 USDC (bounty)  * Whale's video editing - reward pool of 225 USDC per video set (bounty)  There's lots of dope stuff to be done in Dean's List community, so hop in and get your hands dirty. [Join our Discord](https://discord.gg/deanslist) --- *Originally published on [Dean's Letter](https://paragraph.com/@deans-letter/deans-letter-issue-11)*