Connect | Dr. Steven A Martin | International Education Online

Steven’s experiences studying at National Chengchi University, Taiwan inspired him to become a lifelong learner and teacher. He has documented his personal journey in the form of a series of journals, videos, and Website instruction for his students. This has now grown to include a wide range of content: Steven Andrew Martin / International Education Online

Steven has dedicated several Web pages to his scholarship in Taiwan, including unique ethnographic fieldwork with the Bunun, fortunately being present at just the right time to document a traditional ethnic Taiwanese lifestyle and culture:

Plymouth Sustainability and Surfing Research Group (PSSRG)

In 2013, Steven was invited by the Gold Coast City Council, Australia, to present a new research methodology – the Surf Resource Sustainability Index (SRSI). Speaking at the Global Surf Cities Conference at the Kirra Hill Community and Cultural Centre, Gold Coast, Queensland, Steven brought to light the topic of coastal resource sustainability in Phuket, Thailand.

Based on Steven’s presentation, Doctor Gregory Borne, Director of the Plymouth Sustainability and Surfing Research Group (PSSRG), offered Steven to participate in a new book titled Sustainable Surfing.

After four years of communication and collaboration, the university’s book is published and available to English readers.

About the research

Steven’s research explores the concept of a ‘surf resource system boundary’. His work develops a theoretical concept in environmental science, representing the intersecting and interrelated human and physical elements in the natural world at a given surf site. In the study, Co-authored with Assoc. Prof. Danny O’Brien at Bond University, Australia, Steven explores numerous stakeholder interests and factors related to the ‘whole’ surf system as a sustainable and dynamic model. The research addresses a knowledge gap in this area, broadening the understanding of surf system boundaries and providing clarity in two sets of dimensions: the physical boundaries of surf sites and the key resource stakeholders.

Please visit Steven's Surf Tourism Research page for more information.

20th anniversary of Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines

In 2014, Dr. Martin, was invited to Taiwan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines in cooperation with Academia Sinica, the foremost research institute in Taipei, ROC. The Museum offered Steven a place in their upcoming publication, a book to commemorate their 20th anniversary: Religion, Law and State: Cultural Re-invigoration in the New Age.

After three years of communication and collaboration, the Museum’s book has been published and is now available to English and Chinese readers.

About the research

Steven’s research was focused on the remote, high-mountain jungle valley of Laipunuk (內本鹿), in the inaccessible mountains of southern Taiwan, home of the Bunun tribe, the last Taiwanese headhunters.

Having lived with the Bunun tribespeople for five years, he recorded their ways of life, their songs, their traditions and their histories, as part of an oral ethnography project.

According to Steven, “Taiwan is the source of the centuries-long process of the peopling of the Pacific, the so-called ‘Pacific Rainbow’ that maps the migration of peoples, materials and languages across the islands of the Pacific, from Taiwan all the way across to Hawaii.”

Speaking for the Faculty of International Studies (FIS), Steven shared his experience:

“Their stories are the last of their kind, and it was an immense privilege to have the opportunity to document their lives.”

Dr Steven Martin wrote and hosted What Makes a University Great? under the direction of Edward E. Vaughan. The video explores the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) and focuses on the story of leadership and the Dean of School, Prof. Kaye Chon. The video was produced by University Filmworks.

At SHTM, Steven discovers a little universe where students, teachers and industry professionals come together with outstanding synergy, uncovering a story of outstanding educators and leadership.

My Story – Read More

From Homepage...

From GED to PhD –

After reading the Swiss Family Robinson at 15 years old, I left home in the Ohio rustbelt in 1978 and flew to Hawaii where I planned to live in a treehouse. I found work as cook and trained to become a chef.

At the same time, I discovered Hawaii's big waves and surfing.

Over the following few years, I learned American Red Cross lifesaving skills, became a County of Hawaii beach lifeguard, and went on to start a surf school. I taught surf skills to hundreds of people including international celebrities, movie stars and astronauts from NASA.

Continued from Homepage...

My love for surfing, learning, and meeting new people led me to the University of Hawaii's Chinese philosophy summer program at Peking University. It was a great way to travel and earn a B.A. at the same time. This path led to study abroad in China, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Spain.

After graduating, I was fortunate enough to obtain a prestigious Taiwan Scholarship to study for a Master's degree. My research took me to the mountains of Taiwan to live among the world's last headhunters, the Formosan aborigines, and document their lives in ethnographic films.

But surfing remained my true passion, and after discovering perfect uncrowded waves on the Andaman Coast, I moved to Phuket, Thailand, to join the Faculty of International Studies at Prince of Songkla University.

My ongoing research on surf tourism and the environment has led to an MBA, a PhD, and a growing list of publications.

I hope others can benefit from my story and find success in their own lives.

Facebook

Featured here are the unedited photos taken during various international educational experiences with the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH) and Peking University (PKU). Most of these programs started out with university lectures and afternoon field trips in Beijing, followed by a group "Chinese Culture Study Tour", led by UHH Professor John HL Cheng.

1995 CHINESE SILK ROAD – Xian; Jaiyuguan; Turpan; Urumqi; Kashgar Sunday Market.
1997 NORTH CHINA PLAIN – Tai Shan (Mount Tai); Confucius/ Mencius philosophical tradition.
2000 SOUTHWEST CHINA – Changcha; Zhangjiajie National Forest Park; Chengdu; Jiuzhaigou (Ganhaizi National Forest Park); Beijing.
2000 TIBET – Lhasa; Tingri Plain; Mount Everest.
2000 EVEREST (B &W) – Qomolangma National Nature Preserve.
2000 NEPAL – Zhangmu; Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge; Katmandu, Nepal.
2001 BEIJING – Ming Tombs; Mutianyu Great Wall; Taoist temple; Temple of Heaven; Hutongs; Peking Opera.
2001 CHINESE SILK ROAD (I) – Xian; Jaiyuguan; Xinjiang; Urumqi; Kashgar Sunday Bazaar.
2001 CHINESE SILK ROAD (II) – Kashgar; Tashkurgan; Khunjerab pass; Pakistan Border.
2001 PAKISTAN SILK ROAD – Khunjerab Pass; Karakorum Highway; Hunza Valley; Indus River; Islamabad.
2001 PAKISTAN (TAXILA) – Taxila Archaeological Site; Surkap; Jaulian Monastery
2001 PAKISTAN (HARAPPA) – Harappa Archaeological Site; Indus Valley Civilization
2002 PEKING UNIVERSITY – A day in the life of Peking University
2002 SOUTHEAST CHINA – Jinshanling Great Wall; Shaolin Monastery; Hemudu Archaeological Site; Wuyishan, Fujian; Yongding Hakka Houses.

Semester abroad in Seville, Spain, with Saint Bonaventure University (SBU), College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS), and the International College of Seville (ICS), Spain. The spring semester offered a number of holidays and long weekends, and I was fortunate enough to visit several other cities in Spain, as well as Portugal and Morocco.

About this Website

This website showcases some of the many photos and videos from my Learning Adventures, and strongly reflects my passion for international education and travel. For students, I have a portfolio of courses that I teach, with links to relevant photo journals. Take a look at my educational talks on Eastern Civilization, featuring travel diaries from the Chinese Silk Road, Pakistan, Taiwan and Tibet; or my Environmental Studies course, featuring stories from the Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, and current research on sustainable surf tourism.

I also developed this website to share my philosophy of experiential learning.

At fifteen, I left the Ohio rust belt, and went to live in a jungle valley by the ocean in Hawaii, where I learned to surf and found freedom. Now, 40 years and 40 countries later, I am a university lecturer with a Ph.D., two MAs, and over 50 published articles, living and working on the amazing resort island of Phuket, Thailand.

Wherever I went, I always took my journal and my camera.

I hope other students will do the same.

What I want to do with this website is to inspire you to leave behind your boring classroom, get out into the surf, into the world, and learn through adventure and travel – as well as from the books and teachers you meet on the way.

Academic Profile

An international academic, and a native speaker of English, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, USA, I have written over 50 published articles in research areas including environmental resource management, surf tourism, Thai geography, and the history of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan.

I have a proven track record of conducting high-level multidisciplinary research, including systematic literature reviews, as well as popularizing difficult subjects through my lectures and online articles for a wide range of audiences.

2007 – 2022: Lecturer and Assistant Professor Emeritus (retired) of Asian Studies in Sociology and Anthropology at the Department of Thai & ASEAN Studies, Faculty of International Studies (FIS), Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Phuket Campus, Thailand.

I have designed and delivered many courses in the fields of environmental studies, geography, ancient civilizations, interdisciplinary studies, qualitative research methodologies, and English language acquisition.

As an enthusiastic supporter of the movement towards digitization and globalization of education, I have developed a range of online learning materials, including professionally produced videos and other multimedia, complete university courses and my Learning Adventures series. These are all curated on my bio website and YouTube channel at:

Page/ Courses ; Page/ Learning-Adventures ; YouTube/ University-Filmworks

In 2013, I earned my PhD in Environmental Management from Prince of Songkla University by developing an index for coastal management. The surf resource sustainability index (SRSI) I developed is a methodology which is now used for assessing the conservation aptitude of surfing areas globally.

In 2010, I obtained my MBA in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Prince of Songkla University (PSU) in Phuket, and subsequently received a full scholarship for PhD research in Environmental Management.

Through the support of a Taiwan Scholarship from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Los Angeles, I completed a Master's of Arts in Taiwan Studies (currently Asia-Pacific Studies) in 2006 at National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taipei, ROC.

I graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Studies (Chinese Culture & Philosophy) with the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH) in 2001, after earning my Associate in Arts degree from the Hawaii Community College (HCC) in 2000.

The study abroad programs listed below all counted towards either my BA degree from the University of Hawaii or my MA degree from the National Chengchi University, Taiwan. Full details of each of these courses, including the relevant accreditations and my photo journals, are available at: Page/ Study-Abroad

1995-2002: University of Hawaii – China (summer abroad). Participation in 5 accredited certificate programs, Peking University (PKU), Beijing, PRC.
1996: University Study Abroad Consortium (USAC) – Costa Rica (summer abroad). National University of Costa Rica at Heredia.
1997: School for International Training (SIT) – South Africa (semester abroad – fall). University of Cape Town, South Africa.
1998: College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS) – Spain (semester abroad – spring). International College of Seville (ICS), Spain.
2003-2004: University of Hawaii – Taiwan (academic year abroad). Ming-Hsin University of Science and Technology (MUST), Taiwan, ROC.

When I was living in Taiwan, I was approached by an agent for a Taiwanese film production company. They recruited me to appear in various TV commercials, including some for blue-chip companies such as Nissan. This led to my being offered a leading role in the successful made-for-TV Taiwanese drama film Numbers.

One of my classmates introduced me to American filmmaker Tommie Williamson, who invited me to fly to Taitung in southeastern Taiwan, to work as a researcher and writer on an oral history project. We would be documenting on film the life-histories of a unique indigenous people who were among the last to be contacted and subjugated by the Japanese colonists.

The project changed the direction of my life, and I spent the next four years making ethnographic films for the Bunun, an ethnolinguistic group who had lost their traditional lands during the Japanese Colony on Taiwan (1895-1945).

In recent years, I worked with Edward E. Vaughan (1942-2018), an accomplished Associate Director (CBS News) and Assistant Director, Production Manager, Producer and Director on many popular TV shows and movies. The work focused on creating educational content including Course Portraits®, education media, and personal video-taped interviews of students and professors, exploring the diverse range of leadership and international education experiences currently available in Asia, particularly in Hong Kong, as well as Cambodia,Thailand and Vietnam.

Through Ed Vaughan's mentorship, I was able to develop University Filmworks Production and Learning, a video production entity offering educational film production and learning opportunities for students through workshops and short courses.

Inspired by reading the Swiss Family Robinson, I left home in the Ohio rustbelt in 1978, at 15 years old, and flew to Hawaii, where I planned to live in a treehouse. I found work as a cook, and trained to become a chef. At the same time, I discovered Hawaii's big waves and surfing. Over the next few years, I learned American Red Cross lifesaving skills, became a County of Hawaii Water Safety Officer, and went on to start a surf school. I taught water safety and surf skills to hundreds of people including international celebrities, movie stars and astronauts from NASA.

My love for traveling, learning, and meeting new people led me to the University of Hawaii's Chinese culture summer program at Peking University. It was a great way to travel and earn a B.A. at the same time. This path led to study abroad in China, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Spain.

After graduating, I was fortunate enough to obtain a prestigious Taiwan Scholarship to study for a Master's degree. My research took me to the mountains of Taiwan to live among the world's last headhunters, the Formosan aborigines, and document their lives in ethnographic films.

Surfing remained my true passion, and after discovering perfect uncrowded waves on the Andaman Coast, I moved to Phuket, Thailand, to join the Faculty of International Studies at Prince of Songkla University. My ongoing research on surf tourism and the environment has led to an MBA, a PhD, and a growing list of publications.

I hope others can benefit from my story and find success in their own lives.

SAM Website Index

Asst Professor Dr Steven A Martin

BLOG POSTS ♣ RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS & PROJECTS

SEPTEMBER 2022 | Certificate of Honor for Dedication and Service

Asst. Professor Steven "Surf Doctor" Martin Retires with a Certificate of Honor for Service and Dedication at the September 2022 Prince of Songkla University Retirement Ceremony in Phuket, Thailand

JANUARY 2022 | Research Publication

Journal of Sport & Tourism

From Shades of Grey to Web of Science: A Systematic Review of Surf Tourism Research in International Journals (2011-2020)

Web of Science (WoS) Indexed (Q2)

DECEMBER 2022 | Research Publication

The Last Refuge and Forced Migration of a Taiwanese Indigenous People During the Japanese Colonization of Taiwan – An Ethnohistory

FEBRUARY 2020

TEACHING DEMO for Eastern Civilization | Silk Road Lecture Series

In Thailand, a teaching demo is just one of the many elements required when applying for an academic title, such as assistant or associate professor...

Teaching Demo | Eastern Civilization | Silk Road

SEPTEMBER, 2020

Dr Steven A Martin Develops Knowledge Management Webinar for the Faculty of International Studies | How to Conduct a Systematic Review

Introduction to the systematic review – Foundation for long-term success in research and writing in the social sciences

Systematic Review Webinar | Knowledge Management Activity

JULY, 2020

University News | Research publication in SAGE Ethnography

Martin, S. A. (2020). A Taiwan knowledge keeper of indigenous Bunun – An ethnographic historical narrative of Laipunuk (內本鹿), southern mountain range. Ethnography. DOI: 10.1177/1466138120937037.

NOVEMBER, 2019

University News | Dr Steven Andrew Martin Promoted to Assistant Professor of Asian Studies in Sociology and Anthropology

The Faculty of International Studies hereby congratulates Dr. Steven Martin on his promotion to Assistant Professor of Asian Studies, as from 4th April 2018.

OCTOBER, 2019

Asst. Prof. Dr. Steven A. Martin offers the Faculty of International Studies’ 1st FIS Research Seminar at Prince of Songkla University

"An Introduction to Q and A Sharing in Research – Publication and Resource Strategies for Publishing in International Journals"

Prince of Songkla University News | Faculty of International Studies 1st FIS Research Seminar | Click to read more...

AUGUST, 2019

New research publication on Thai Geography at Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand.

Dr. Steven A. Martin, Faculty of International Studies, and co-author Dr. Raymond J. Ritchie, Faculty of Technology and Environment, have published the results of their research on Thai Geography for ASEAN and international education in the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography.

Thai Geography News | Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography

Martin, S. A., & Ritchie, R. J. (2020). Sourcing Thai geography literature for ASEAN and international education. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 41(1) 61–85

OCTOBER, 2018

Steven A. Martin, Ph.D., Nominated for the Taiwan Ministry of Education Distinguished Alumni Award by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Los Angeles

全球留臺傑出校友獎選拔作業推薦表

Graduates and alumni of the Taiwan Scholarship Program teaching in Phuket, Thailand | Steven and Chris

Achievements Highlights

Steven’s outstanding achievements following his scholarship in the Taiwan Studies program at National Chengchi University, Taiwan

MAY, 2018

New social science index methodology developed at Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand

Dr. Steven A. Martin, Faculty of International Studies, and co-author Dr. Raymond J. Ritchie, Faculty of Technology and Environment, have published the results of their research into a social science index and weighting schema for coastal planning and sustainable development in Phuket, Thailand.

Social Science Index Research | Environmental Management in Phuket, Thailand

2017 Book Chapter | Surf Resource System Boundaries

"Surf Resource System Boundaries" is an environmental management approach aimed at the conservation of surfing sites

2017 Book Chapter | Cultural Continuum among the Bunun of Laipunuk (Nei Ben Lu), Southern Taiwan

Next generation Bunun explore their ancestral homeland of Laipunuk (內本鹿) in southern Taiwan

Religion, law and state: Cultural re-invigoration in the new age | Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines | Ch. 8 – Cultural Continuum among the Bunun of Laipunuk (Nei Ben Lu), Southern Taiwan

The Art of Welcome | University Filmworks

The Art of Welcome | Phuket Interns

What Makes a University Great? | University Filmworks

Shooting in Hong Kong with University Filmworks | Read more...

What Makes a University Great?

Asst Professor Dr Steven A Martin

From Homepage...

From GED to PhD –

After reading the Swiss Family Robinson at 15 years old, I left home in the Ohio rustbelt in 1978 and flew to Hawaii where I planned to live in a treehouse. I found work as cook and trained to become a chef.

At the same time, I discovered Hawaii's big waves and surfing.

Over the following few years, I learned American Red Cross lifesaving skills, became a County of Hawaii beach lifeguard, and went on to start a surf school. I taught surf skills to hundreds of people including international celebrities, movie stars and astronauts from NASA.

Continued from Homepage...

My love for surfing, learning, and meeting new people led me to the University of Hawaii's Chinese philosophy summer program at Peking University. It was a great way to travel and earn a B.A. at the same time. This path led to study abroad in China, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Spain.

After graduating, I was fortunate enough to obtain a prestigious Taiwan Scholarship to study for a Master's degree. My research took me to the mountains of Taiwan to live among the world's last headhunters, the Formosan aborigines, and document their lives in ethnographic films.

But surfing remained my true passion, and after discovering perfect uncrowded waves on the Andaman Coast, I moved to Phuket, Thailand, to join the Faculty of International Studies at Prince of Songkla University.

My ongoing research on surf tourism and the environment has led to an MBA, a PhD, and a growing list of publications.

I hope others can benefit from my story and find success in their own lives.

FACEBOOK PHOTO ALBUMS

This is an index to my photo albums, taken all over the world during my nine undergraduate study abroad programs, and in the course of my postgraduate work in Taiwan and Thailand.

Please note that viewers may need to have an active Facebook account in order to view the photo albums listed below.

Click photo to visit my Facebook

1995–2002 CHINA – SUMMER STUDY ABROAD

1996 COSTA RICA & SOUTH AMERICA – SUMMER STUDY ABROAD

1997 SOUTH AFRICA – SEMESTER ABROAD

1998 SPAIN – SEMESTER ABROAD

1998 MIDDLE EAST

2003 ECUADOR – STUDY ABROAD JOURNAL

2003–2007 TAIWAN – GRADUATE STUDIES

2007–2018 THAILAND – GRADUATE STUDIES AND TEACHING

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

The Faculty of International Studies hereby congratulates Dr. Steven Martin on his promotion to Assistant Professor of Asian Studies, as from 4^th April 2018.