Neil Lazarow, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industry Research Organisation in Australia where he works on a range of climate and science-policy issues focusing on natural systems, livelihoods and regional development. Neil works in Australia and internationally. Neil holds adjunct roles at the Australian National University’s Fenner School and the Griffith University Centre for Coastal Management.

Prior to joining the CSIRO, Neil was an Assistant Director with the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, where he managed coastal programs in Australia and the south Pacific. He was also the Project Manager and Lead Social Scientist for the development of the Gold Coast City Council Shoreline Management Plan whilst at Griffith University.

Neil’s research and work interests span the biophysical and social sciences, including: natural systems, coastal and marine resource management, anthropology, geography, political science and public policy. He has been an active researcher and surfing community advocate for over 15 years; pioneered the use of surf economics in Australia, and has played an important role in a number of surfbreak protection campaigns.

Neil is an advisor to Surfrider Foundation Australia and Save the Waves Coalition. He lives in Australia and wishes he made more time to surf, swim and go fishing.

Erick is a 4th year Ph.D. candidate at UC-Irvine. His current research uses game theory and experimental economics to study behavior in common-pool resources. Additional research interests include environmental economics, sustainability, and industrial organization.

Erick graduated from San Diego State University in 2007 with a degree in economics. After graduating he continued at San Diego State earning a masters degree in Applied Economics in 2009.

Growing up in Newport Beach, Erick fell in love with surfing at an early age. Now living in San Diego, he still surfs as much as he can. Using surfers as inspiration, his current research looks at surfers behavior. Specifically, why are surfers are able to maintain high levels of efficiency and cooperation when sharing waves while other people sharing similar resource systems often suffer from inefficient and non-cooperative outcomes?

Erick Peterson’s Papers:

Waves as a Common Pool Resource

Group Size, Cooperation, and The Surfer’s Dilemma

Chad Nelsen is the Environmental Director at the Surfrider Foundation where he has worked since 1998. At Surfrider, Chad is responsible for strategic guidance regarding environmental campaigns at the local through national level, and he oversees a number of environmental programs that include volunteer water quality monitoring, ocean-friendly landscaping, surfonomics, as well as education and outreach programs.

Prior to joining Surfrider, Chad was a NOAA Coastal Zone Management Fellow working with Oregon’s state coastal zone management program. He is an alumni of Brown University and Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and has Doctorate the Environmental Science and Engineering program at UCLA where he focussed on the economics of surfing. Through his work on coral reef conservation in Puerto Rico, the Surfrider Foundation earned recognition from the US Coral Reef Task Force.

Chad is also currently the President of the Save the Waves Board of Directors and a board member of The Coastal Society. He’s an avid surfer, swimmer, and beach enthusiast who lives in Laguna Beach, CA with his family.

The Groundswell Society presents
The 11th Annual Surfing Arts, Science and Issues Conference
Modern Oceanography and the Future of Surfing

February 16, 17 2013
Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Sunday 8:00 AM – Noon
Sumner Auditorium
Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, California

Today we have wave forecasts, weather reports and other services readily available online. It was not always so. Join us at SASIC XI for a compelling presentation by Dr. Walter Munk.

Legendary oceanographer, Research Professor of Geophysics, and the Father of Surf Forecasting, UC San Diego scientist Dr. Munk, is often referred to as the world’s “greatest living oceanographer.” He is the author of more than 200 scientific papers and the winner of many scientific awards, including the Crafoord Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which is equivalent to a Nobel Prize for Oceanography. During World War II, Walter and the renowned Norwegian oceanographer Harald Sverdrup predicted the surf conditions for Allied landings in Northern Africa and Normandy, saving countless lives and helping the Allies to win WWII. In the 1950s Walter and his colleagues discovered the source of the summer swells. His first Waves Across the Pacific experiment proved that long-range southern Pacific swells originate in the Indian Ocean.

With a creative mind eternally enthusiastic for his work, Walter Munk continues to explore topics that interest him.
Walter’s presentation “Where the Swell Begins” includes his start at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the compelling
story of the Normandy D-Day landings, the source of the summer swells and more!

SATURDAY
8:30 Registration
9:00 Introduction – Cher Pendarvis and Glenn Hening, conference co-chairs
9:30 “Waves Across the Pacific” – the 1963 documentary on the landmark Scripps project that confirmed theories
connecting Antarctic storms with surf all around the Pacific.
10:15 “Where the Swell Begins” – Dr. Walter Munk
11:00 Surfzone Pollution: Using Science to Separate Fact from Fiction –Dr. Falk Feddersen, research scientist at
Scripps, will give the Dr. Walter Munk Lecture.
12:00 Lunch
1:00 The Technology, Analysis, and Consequences of Surf Forecasts – Kevin Wallis, Surfline
2:00 Two Extraordinary Swells – Presentations on the Code Red Tahiti swell in 2011 and the early October swell at
Peahi in 2012 – the Surfline Forecasting Team
3:15 The Ultimate Swell – Research and Hypothesis – Glenn Hening
4:00 Conference Conclusion

SUNDAY
Alternative and Sustainable Surf Craft Surf Session – north side of the Scripps Pier
Organized by Steve and Cher Pendarvis, the public is invited to participate in a morning of riding waves using a variety of surfboards, handplanes, paipos, and other craft from the fringes of the surfing community.

The conference is open to the public. Registration is $35 and includes free parking, morning and afternoon snacks and drinks and a box lunch. Students/seniors $25. T-shirt add $15. You can pre-register at www.groundswellsociety.org. On-site registration: cash or check only.

Center for Surf Research
5555 Campanile Dr
San Diego, CA 92182
(619) 594-8499
jponting@mail.sdsu.edu

INNOVATIVE BIODIESEL PROJECT NEEDS FUNDING TO REVOLUTIONIZE SMALL SURF TOURISM COMMUNITIES
Project Designs to be Available Online for Free

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2013
Contact: Carl Kish at carl@safarisurfschool.com

SAN DIEGO, CA – The Center for Surf Research’s Certification Program Coordinator and San Diego State University alumnus, Carl Kish, aims to contribute towards sustainable living practices in small surf tourism communities with the “Innovative Biodiesel Project.” Carl has partnered with biodiesel expert Ryan King to create the world’s first small-scale biodiesel production plant that is closed-loop (zero waste), energy independent (off-grid), and has a net carbon-negative impact. Carl created a campaign for the project on IndieGogo, a crowdfunding website, to finance the research, testing and construction of the biodiesel system in the surf community of Nosara, Costa Rica: http://www.indiegogo.com/nosara-biodiesel. Once the model is developed and tested, the blueprints and instructions for production will be released online for free to amplify the potential global reach of this inexpensive, locally appropriate, sustainable energy solution.

Dr. Jess Ponting, Director of San Diego State University’s Center for Surf Research is excited about the project’s potential to change the way small surf resorts and surf communities produce energy. “This project has the potential to change everything,” said Ponting. “All around the world, remote communities and surf resorts rely on polluting diesel-powered generators for energy. What Carl and Ryan are working on could provide a carbon NEGATIVE alternative that actually removes waste from the environment. Best of all, they plan on giving the technology away for free once they have developed it! This is just one of those immensely cool projects that people should support. It could be a game changer.”

Safari Surf School, Costa Rica’s premier surf school and camp in Nosara, is hosting the system at their headquarters — the Hotel Casa Tucan. Ryan and Carl will travel to Costa Rica on February 12th for three weeks to build the system and train staff, as well as members of the community, on proper operation. Casa Tucan was benchmarked by the CSR in May 2012, and hopes to be a Sustainable Surf Tourism Certified resort this June. Having a fuel source that is independent from imported resources and power could potentially be a lifesaver during times when access to Nosara is limited, such as during seasonal floods or natural disasters. Nosara’s situation resembles that of most small surf tourism communities around the world, some more extreme than others, where access to basic resources like electricity are limited.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Ryan on such a momentous project,” said Carl. “He has over a decade of experience and exhibits ample confidence and passion in his work.”  They raised 80% of their $5,000 fundraising goal in the first three weeks of the campaign, and they have one more week to acquire the rest of the funds. If you want to learn more about the project and its distinct features, please visit http://www.indiegogo.com/nosara-biodiesel. They envision this project as a catalyst for advancements in sustainable living and hope that it will inspire communities and biodiesel producers around the world to implement, experiment, and improve upon this model.

Ryan explains, “I am grateful to Carl, Safari Surf School and the Casa Tucan for expressing interest and support in local, carbon negative energy production. Typical ethanol and biodiesel production remain at around 3% of global transport fuels. Large, commercial-scale biofuel production has proven too costly, in both environmental and economic aspects, to compete with fossil fuels. By exploring scalable local solutions and sharing our results and methods, we may be able to develop models of biofuel production with benefits to local communities and ecosystems.”

The project aligns with the community’s aspirations to distinguish Nosara as a sustainable model for development for other communities in Costa Rica. Both the Nosara Civic Association, a nonprofit organization that has been preserving the natural environment through planned and controlled growth for 36 years, along with Nosara Sostenible, a committee of like-minded business and property owners, fully support the initiative. This project’s positive implications will resonate for the future of Nosara, not only because of its potential to create job opportunities, but also because energy is at a premium in the community.

This is all part of Safari Surf’s new sustainability campaign — Sustainable Swell. “We are fortunate to be working with such passionate individuals that care about our community and the greater good,” said Tim Marsh, CEO of Safari Surf. “Carl and Ryan have shown immense initiative in pursuing this project and have remained headstrong despite several setbacks that jeopardized the project’s viability and we completely trust them to get the job done.” Carl will also be preparing the Hotel Casa Tucan for Sustainable Surf Tourism Certification by the Center for Surf Research and Sustainable Tourism Certification by the Costa Rican Tourism Board in June of this year. Safari Surf launched an entirely new website that contains a whole section detailing the company’s sustainability initiatives: http://safarisurfschool.com/sustainability/sustainability-initiatives/.

About Safari Surf School
Founded by brothers Tim and Tyler Marsh in 1999, Safari Surf School is an official Billabong Camp and is Costa Rica’s premier surf school. In addition to surf lessons from ISA certified instructors, Safari offers complete vacation packages including a range of accommodations, dining, transportation and numerous other activities such as fishing, zip-lining, nature tours, yoga, massage, horseback riding and more. The school is located at Playa Guiones near Nosara on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. Business and administrative operations are based in San Diego, CA, U.S.A. The company owns and operates a variety of travel businesses including recreation, hospitality, food and beverage, and retail. Specific businesses include Safari Surf School, Safari Surf Adventures, Safari Surf Vacations, Women’s Surf Adventures, and the Hotel Casa Tucan. For more information about Safari Surf School, go to http://safarisurfschool.com/, https://www.facebook.com/safarisurfschool, https://twitter.com/safarisurfer.

About Center for Surf Research
The Center for Surf Research is a non-profit research and teaching center housed in SDSU’s Sustainable Tourism Program under the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The CSR provides leadership in the struggle for sustainability in surf tourism by: shaping responsible global citizens through life-changing experiential learning opportunities for students and the wider community; creating and disseminating specialist knowledge to governments, the surf industry, tourism developers, destination communities, nonprofits, and tourists; and by inspiring and driving active stakeholder engagement with the social and economic development of destination communities, sustainable use of their resources, and conservation of their critical environments. The CSR is directed by Dr. Jess Ponting, an Australian surfer and researcher who has the world’s first PhD on sustainable surf tourism management. For more information about the Center for Surf Research, go to http://csr.sdsu.edu/, https://www.facebook.com/SDSU.CSR, https://twitter.com/SDSU_CSR.

###

Seeing the world is a dream that many people strive for throughout their life. I have already been to more countries then most people my age because of my passion for surfing and adventure. I graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Sustainable Tourism Management in December of 2010. Since my graduation, I moved to Mexico where I lived for almost a year opening up a boutique resort destination then moved to Western Samoa. I was recruited to Western Samoa to act as their assistant manager to the two owners/GM’s. In the past two years I have seen the highs and lows in the world of tourism and in myself.

The road that led me to these opportunities originated in my passion for the ocean and meeting Jess Ponting one day. I was recently talking about Dr. Ponting in a lot of my interviews to pursue my new career as a Commercial Real Estate Broker in Orange County. I was studying real estate for the first two years at SDSU, then I met Dr. Ponting who told me he received a PhD in Surf Tourism. I was taken off guard hearing something like this was possible so I decided to educate myself on the program. Once I saw the opportunity of moving around the world and being my own boss I signed up the next day, then worked hard at pursuing a dream.

I moved to Mexico December 17th, 2010 and the only reason I can remember this is because the last final I took in college was Pols 101 on December 16th. I packed my life into boxes and left the day after my last final with my dog Monster. I opened Playa Loma Bonita, a boutique resort property about an hour south of Zihuatanejo that weekend with three straight weeks of bookings. I learned living down there that you need to think five steps ahead and ‘what can go wrong, will go wrong’. I was given the opportunity to use my own knowledge of tourism and assist the owners in building this destination to it’s full potential. I lived there until July, when I moved home because the resort closed due to severe seasonal storms that would flood the property. After that stint, I went to Indonesia where I spent two months on a motorbike with a best friend, a couple boardshorts, books, surfboards, journal, and a camera. We moved around searching for the unknown, usually after overhearing people in the surf talk of big swells hitting other island with no crowds. The journey ended and I moved back to Orange County where I was recruited to Western Samoa to help manage Salani Surf Resort.

I had always seen photographs of Samoa as a kid - the big blue barrels and lush jungle – I never thought I would reach this distant island. I found myself boarding an airplane in November 2011, after a couple Skype interviews and strong references, I was moving there for a year-long contract. Samoa, as many people know, is known for its very large people so it was quite intimidating for a polongi (white person) living there. Respect and humbleness will get you far in foreign countries because I never had a serious issue. I learned what long hours of work meant in this country because I worked three days a week from 6am-9pm, and three days for eight hour shifts. Hardest thing for a surfer is to watch people get continuous double overhead barrels while you having to work… torture. After a month of living there, the owners left on holiday and I was given the opportunity to run the resort for three weeks all on my own during Christmas time. I organized a magazine shoot there with Volcom and Surfing Magazine, which was a great way to expose our property to the public. I unfortunately had to return in March of 2012 because the resort could no longer afford my services.

I came back to USA and for the first couple months I was lost in what I should do for work. I decided to stay here in Southern California and pursue a career that I had put on hold while accomplishing my dreams in surf tourism. I had a beautiful girlfriend at the time who might have been a slight influence on me to stay in America. I recently was hired as a Runner for a Commercial Real Estate Broker firm in Newport Beach. I chose this career change because I have always had a deep interest in Real Estate and I want to raise a family in Southern California. I have scoped out many countries through travel and work and the draw of our local area has always brought me home.

When my best friend and I took off around the world after finishing our Hospitality and Tourism Management degrees from SDSU, I didn’t think that would lead me down a specific career path. We were going surfing, not trying to save the world. After seeing countless places around the South Pacific and SouthEast Asia, there was one place that I loved; Papua New Guinea. I liked having no electricity, no running water and pooping on the beach. Unfortunately, pooping on the beach isn’t very sanitary.

I came home completely lost in life… and broke. So, I started graduate school at SDSU and started Walu International as a class project. The idea behind Walu International had won a couple competitions based around the idea of having surf contests and “giving back.” From there, Walu International was developed with the encouragement of Dr. Jess Ponting, Dr. Martina Musteen, and Alison Gerlach.

Walu International is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the hygiene and sanitation in the coastal communities of Papua New Guinea. Our operations team has been living on and off in Lido village, Papua New Guinea for the past few years. Our goal is to make sure the community first understands their problems, and then empower them to come up with their own solutions that will lead to healthier lifestyles.

For example, Walu International recognized that the village didn’t have toilets. It didn’t take long to figure that out! Rather than going in and dropping off toilets from the Western world, the team decided to let the villagers come up with their own solution with this process. If we dropped off toilets from the Western world then we might come back and see that the toilet seats would be used as boomerangs and the pipes would be used as baseball bats. It turns out we had a lot more to learn about educating the villagers about HOW, WHY, and WHEN to use the toilets. We think that getting the materials is about 3-5% of the problem. Be very cautious of organizations promising toilet and water filter numbers, they are not SOLVING the problem. The problem is education and awareness, not materials. This is how we empower the villagers:

1. We ask the villagers what they want to see changed in their community (Walu asked and they said that they wanted toilets). If we went over there without asking, then it seems as if we are pushing our Western culture on the villagers versus asking them what they want. This is a slow process. People are on different time schedules. Everything can always happen tomorrow or in a week, but never today.
2. Determine how they want to build the toilets. They have been pooping on the beach for thousands of years so the change will not happen overnight. Do they want men’s and women’s bathrooms? Do they want them by their house or at the beach? Do they want to start using toilet paper or keep a splash bucket next to the toilet? These are all things that we couldn’t decide, but the villagers had to come up with themselves. In our heads, we would think that they would want toilets close to home, but how do we know? Maybe they look at Western culture and think that we are disgusting for pooping in our own homes and that pooping should be as far away from the house as possible. We had to ask.
3. Fundraising. The village is currently fundraising for toilets by using Bingo in 4 different areas of the village. They are raising their own money to build their toilets so they feel like it is their project and they have ownership over it. To date, the village has raised $14K! Walu feels great letting our donors know that the villagers are basically matching their donations.
4. Construction. The villagers will build the toilets using their own money, labor, and materials so that the process can be easily replicated around the village and surrounding villages.
5. We will monitor the results and adjust for future projects. The problem we see with some international non-profits is that they expand into other communities before they actually know if their model works. Why would you want to replicate a shitty model? (No pun intended).

 

The biggest challenges that we’ve had to overcome were:

1. Not succumbing to the pressure to produce “sexy” results. Most non-profits like to say, “We have built 35 toilets, that help 189 people, that will save 7 lives.” Those are vanity metrics. They sound great , but they end up causing more harm than help. Walu has had to fight the urge to produce those sexy results and instead do what is best for the community, which is to let them lead the project.
2. Having patience building an organization is key, especially in a developing country. Different cultures move at their own pace. It was always challenging to go from fundraising/marketing in the US to going to the village. Two completely different speeds.
3. Building relationships with donors doesn’t happen overnight. Walu originally thought that fundraising was going to be easy, but it is very time consuming and is extremely challenging. You have to put your head down and go for it.

Biggest accomplishments:

1. Our partnership with the Monterrey Institute of International Studies. We now have graduate level International Development students helping us with our projects.
2. Our “Give a Crap” campaign was nominated as a top-25 awareness campaign by a charity in the USA.



3. Walu has listened to the community and are truly trying to make a difference and not just pass out water filters.
4. Walu hasn’t given up.

For more information feel free to contact:

Zack Parker
CEO and Founder of Walu International
(831) 234 4372
waluinternational@gmail.com

After entering the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at San Diego State University, it was difficult to find the right direction until I took Dr. Jess Ponting’s Sustainable Tourism class. This class allowed me to better understand how tourism could be used to not only enhance the lives of traveling tourists but also those who inhabit a particular area of the world where these tourists visit. Sparking an area of interest I began to direct my attention on using tourism as a means for sustainable development whereby all parties benefit. It opened up a new and desirable area of the tourism industry, which I had not yet focused on.

Once acknowledging my growing interest to Dr. Ponting, we began to seek out suitable internships that would allow me to implement the theory that I had learned during the above mentioned Sustainable Tourism class. What transpired was a six week period in the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea where I was given the opportunity to work with local villages through various focus groups and workshops to develop their guest house network. Catering to tourists who wanted complete cultural immersion, the guest house network provided the perfect platform to facilitate the benefits of a sustainable approach so that socio-culturally, environmentally, and economically resources would only be enhanced. At the end of my time in New Ireland, these same workshops and focus groups created individually shaped opportunities for their specific needs. Some of which are as follows:

1. Socio Cultural Sustainability- Chiefs in the area, illustrated evidence that cultural values were diminishing so we developed an organized period where guests would have an opportunity to spend time learning about local culture through various mediums. This helped to preserve the local culture as traditional rituals (e.g. dance, art) were practiced more often.

2. Economically Sustainable- Ensuring that money stayed in the local villages rather then exiting through other enterprises run by expatriates, local tours and hands-on gardening workshops were organized and ran by locals.

3. Environmentally Sustainable- In conjunction with the local fisheries college, strategies were developed so that guest house operators would better understand reef management and the desirable aspects that it held in the eyes of tourists.

Immediately after returning from Papua New Guinea, Dr. Ponting noticed two things-my growing interest for community development and my mangy beard! Understanding that he could do little about my mangy beard, he put me in touch with Zack Park who had recently started Walu International- a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the hygiene and sanitation in the coastal communities of Papua New Guinea. After meeting Zack, a strong working relationship was formed and I soon found myself on the Walu International Operations Team and preparing for a second trip to PNG. With focus in the Lido Village, where open-defecation is the norm, village participation made it clear that toilets were an area of concern and required immediate attention. Walu’s underlying theme is to provide knowledge and expertise whilst the village agrees to provide all manual labor and funds necessary to cover the costs associated with the current project. Lido now has a group of local natural leaders that oversee the toilet project and maintain an amazing fundraising scheme with 100% of its profits going to the construction of toilets for the village. During my two years with Walu I have gained many friendships, grown close to a very different culture and spent a year in the field while volunteering in varying capacities at home in the US. And my appreciation for community development is still growing.

Through my time with Walu International I have been given the opportunity to manage the Vanimo Surf Lodge in Papua New Guinea, which is also located in the same village that Walu works in. In this position I will be able to stay involved with Walu when new volunteers are working in the village and also focus other efforts on managing the operations of a very promising new business that will create new jobs for the local population in a beautiful environment with really fun waves!

Stay tuned.

Danny is an Associate Professor in the School of Health Sciences at Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia. Danny is a graduate of Australian Catholic University and California State University, Long Beach, and in 2000, he completed a PhD in sport management at DeMontfort University, England. His doctoral thesis explored organisational change, specifically, the professionalization of rugby union in England. Danny currently teaches in the areas of sport tourism, event management, project management and strategic management. As a lifelong surfer, Danny’s primary research interest is in sustainable surf tourism and its ability to contribute to community building in remote developing country contexts. His other main research interests explore event leverage, and organisational change in sport. Danny is a board member of Gold Coast Surf City, Inc., a non-profit advocacy group representing the interests of the Gold Coast surf industry; and serves on the Editorial Boards of two academic journals. Danny has presented his work at over 20 international conferences and published numerous book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Annals of Tourism Research; European Journal of Marketing; International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research; Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research; Journal of Sport Management; Sport Management Review; European Sport Management Quarterly; and, Journal of Leisure Research.

Education & Publication Profile

Lecturer, Faculty of International Studies (FIS), Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Phuket Campus, Thailand

Email: surftourism@gmail.com

Steven completed an Associate of Arts with Honors from the Hawaii Community College and followed with a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Culture and Philosophy with the University of Hawaii and a Master of Arts from National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Combining his passion for learning and surfing, he went on to study a MBA in Hospitality and Tourism Management through a nation-wide research on surf tourism at Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Phuket, Thailand, where he remains as a full-time lecturer in interdisciplinary studies and PhD candidate in Environmental Management. Research areas include the development of the ‘SRSI’ (Surf Resource Sustainability Index), a global model for surf site conservation and methodology which combines qualitative and quantitative dimensions. He looks at the criteria and implications of social, economic, environmental and institutional indicators foundational to surf site sustainability, particularly in the contexts of policy and management. The SRSI concept was awarded the 2012 ‘Best paper’ by the Asia-Pacific Tourism Association (APTA).

Aquatic Background

Steven Andrew Martin hails from land-locked Ohio and moved to the Big Island of Hawaii at 15-years-old in 1978. He unexpectedly took up bodysurfing at the will of the pounding Hawaiian shorebreak and began surfing and working as a beach boy soon after, a job and lifestyle which led to an early career as a Hawaii County Water Safety Officer. Relevant aquatics experience include a summer of exchange service as a California State Park Lifeguard at San Clemente, ten years service for the American Red Cross, five years as the owner and operator of an international surfing school, and a surfing contest competitor and official in Hawaii, North America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia.

Degrees & Certificates

PhD Candidate
Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand
2011-current

MBA in Hospitality and Tourism
Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand
2007-2010

MA in Taiwan Studies
National Chengchi University, Taipei, ROC
2004-2006

BA in Chinese Culture & Philosophy
University of Hawaii, Hilo, USA
1999-2001

AA in General Education
Hawaii Community College, Kailua-Kona, USA
1995-2000

5 Certificates in Chinese Philosophy
Peking University, Beijing, PRC
1995-2002

Educational Exchange

• Graduate Studies - National Chengchi University, Taiwan, ROC
• International exchange program - Ming-Hsin University, Taiwan, ROC
• 5 International exchange programs (summer) - Peking University, Beijing, PRC
• International exchange program (spring) - University of Seville, Spain
• International exchange program (fall) - University of Cape Town, South Africa
• International exchange program (summer) - National University of Costa Rica

Scholarships & Academic Awards

• Best Paper Award - Asia Pacific Tourism Association
• Research Scholarship - Prince of Songkla University, Thailand
• Ph.D. Scholarship - Prince of Songkla University, Thailand
• Master’s Scholarship - National Chengchi University, Taiwan
• Hohonu Academic Journal - University of Hawaii, USA
• Academic Honors Achievement (22nd Annual Ed.) - The National Dean’s List, USA
• Nota Bene Academic Publication - International Honor Society, USA
• League for Innovation Literary Competition - State of Hawaii, USA
• HCC Literary Competition – First Place - Hawaii Community College, USA

PUBLICATIONS & PROCEEDINGS

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Martin, S. A. (2011). Rebuilding mama’s house—an ethnohistorical reconstruction and homecoming of the Bunun on Taiwan. Journal of International Studies, 1(2) pp.61–78. Phuket, Thailand: Faculty of International Studies, Prince of Songkla University.

Martin, S. A. (2010). Laipunuk (Nei Ben Lu)—the last frontier of the Taiwan aborigines during the Japanese occupation on Taiwan: Ethnographic narratives of a Bunun elder. The International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 7(1) pp. 123–142. Retrieved from http://web.usm.my/ijaps/default.asp?tag=2&vol=13

Martin, S. A. (2004). China, A Magic Place. Hohonu Academic Journal, 2, pp. 55–57. Hilo, Hawaii, USA: University of Hawaii Press. Retrieved from http://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/documents/Vol02MASTER.pdf

THESES

Martin, S. A. (2010). Coastal resource assessment for surf tourism in Thailand. Master’s thesis, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand

Martin, S. A. (2006). Ethnohistorical perspectives among the Bunun: A case study of Laipunuk, Taiwan. Master’s thesis, National Chengchi University, Taipei, ROC.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Assenov, I., & Martin, S. A. (2010). Surf tourism research 1997–2009: A systematic review and interdisciplinary perspective. Proceedings of the 16th Asia Pacific Tourism Association (APTA) Annual Conference: Competition and Collaboration between Regional Tourism Destinations (pp. 1017–1028). Macau S.A.R, China, July 13–16.

Martin, S. A. (2009). Rethinking the monsoon: Sustainable surf tourism in Thailand. Paper presented at the International Tourism Conference on Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism Management: Beyond the Global Recession. Silpakon University, Bangkok, Thailand, May 14–15.

Martin, S. A. (2010). Laipunuk (Nei Ben Lu)—the last frontier of the Bunun during the Japanese occupation on Taiwan: Ethnographic narratives of an Isbukun elder. Paper presented at the 3rd Annual PSU Phuket Conference: Multidisciplinary Studies on Sustainable Development. Nov. 17–19. Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand.

Martin, S. A. (2010). The conservation of coastal surfing resources in Thailand: The Andaman Sea. Proceedings of the International Conference on the Environment and Natural Resources (ICENR) 2010 – The Changing Environment: Challenges for Society (pp. 262–280), Mahidol University, Salaya Campus, Bangkok, Thailand, November 10–12.

Martin, S. A. (2011). Music, Marriage and Adaptation among the Bunun from Lost Laipunuk, Southern Taiwan. CD Proceedings of the 4th Annual PSU Research Conference: Multidisciplinary Studies on Sustainable Development (p.46). Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand, November 16–18.

Martin, S. A., & Assenov, I. (2008a). Beach and coastal survey: What future for surf tourism. CD Proceedings of the 7th Asia Pacific Forum for Graduate Students’ Research in Tourism – Advances in Tourism Practices: Pointing the Way Forward (p.12), University Teknologi Mara, Selangor, Malaysia, June 3–5.

Martin, S. A., & Assenov, I. (2008b). Interdisciplinary approaches toward sustainable surf tourism in Thailand. Paper presented at the 1st PSU Sustainability Conference. Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus, Thailand, November 19–21.

Martin, S. A., & Assenov, I. (2011). A statistical analysis of surf tourism research literature. CD Proceedings of the 4th Annual PSU Research Conference: Multidisciplinary Studies on Sustainable Development (p.57). Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand, November 16–18.

Martin, S. A., & Assenov, I. (2012). Towards a surf resource sustainability index: A global model for surf site conservation and Thailand case study. Proceedings of the 18th Asia Pacific Tourism Association Annual Conference (APTA) Hospitality & Tourism Education: New Tourism & New Waves (pp. 745–760). Taipei, ROC, June 26–29.

OTHER ARTICLES

Martin, S. A. (1999). Great Expectations. Nota Bene: The 1999 Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society Anthology. Jackson, Mississippi, USA: The Society. Retrieved from http://www2.ptk.org/publications/notabene/author_1999.htm

Martin, S. A. (2000). Great expectations. Kona Views Magazine, (p.21). Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA: Kona Media Inc.

Martin, S. A. (2001). China, my magic place. Kona Views Magazine, (pp. 24–25). Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA: Kona Media Inc.

Martin, S. A. (2002). Skateboarding through time on the Great Wall of China. Kona Views Magazine, (pp. 21– 22). Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA: Kona Media Inc.

Martin, S. A. (2002). The space ambassadors: From outerspace to the Kona Coast, astronauts send a humanitarian message. Kona Views Magazine. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA: Kona Media Inc.

Martin, S. A. (2010). A brief history of surfing. Thailand Surfrider, (2) (pp. 15–21). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2010). Coastal currents in Phuket. Thailand Surfrider, (4) (pp. 44–46). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2010). Coastal resource and surfing in Thailand. Thailand Surfrider, (1) (pp. 42–50). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2010). Surfing the southern gulf: Exploratory research on the Gulf of Thailand. Thailand Surfrider, (4) (pp.20–27). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2010). The Phuket ocean safety guide. Thailand Surfrider, (4) (pp. 54–55). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2010). The surfer-lifesavers of Phuket. Thailand Surfrider, (3) (pp. 40–42). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2011). Climate Change and the environment in Thailand: What’s going on with the weather? Thailand Surfrider, (5) (pp. 28–30). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2011). Rare earth vs. rare surf: Malaysian ‘rare earth’ refinery draws environmental concerns for surfers. Thailand Surfrider, (7) (pp. 28–29). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2011). Surf science of the Andaman Sea, Part I: A surfer’s guide to wind, water & waves. Thailand Surfrider, (7) (pp. 42–45). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2011). Surfing Rayong: Wave magnet of the Eastern Gulf. Thailand Surfrider, (7) (pp. 24–26). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2011). The Phuket ocean safety guide. Thailand Surfrider, (5) (pp. 42–45). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2011). The Phuket ocean safety guide. Thailand Surfrider, (6) (pp. 52–55). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2011). Trash talking: Exploring marine debris on the Andaman Coast, Thailand. Thailand Surfrider, (6) (pp. 48–50). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Martin, S. A. (2011). Water safety awareness for the hospitality & tourism industry. Thailand Surfrider, (5) (pp. 40–41). Thalang, Phuket, Thailand: Purple Diamond Ltd.

Fein (2010) The Surf Keeper [Gazette]

Phuket Gazette (2011) Surf Reserve Proposal