Roberta (Robin) Martin

Athlete, Care taker, Concerned citizen, Educator/Teacher, Environmentalist, Explorer, Idea generator, Scientist

My name is Robin Martin, I am an associate professor at Arizona State University. My research combines field and laboratory studies with remote sensing to better understand patterns in biodiversity and fundamental processes of ecosystems of forests, coastlines, and reefs at scales that can assist conservation and management. I am fortunate to live and work on the Big Island of Hawaii, where I have co-founded the Hawaii Marine Education and Research Center (HawaiiMERC). HawaiiMERC supports multi-agency and citizen collaborations along with educational opportunities to connect cultural and scientific perspectives for the sustainability of coastal and reef ecosystems at its home base in South Kona, Hawaiʻi, and beyond. The combination of teacher, researcher, and marine citizen has given me amazing opportunities to work with groups of people from Hawaiian kids and Kupuna to world-class scientists and communities around the globe.

Showing students that science and education don't have to be difficult.

I have always been an avid consumer of TEDTalks and am grateful for all they teach me. I marvel at how confident and engaging the speakers always are but am hesitant with my own public speaking which was why when the opportunity came to help organize a series to highlight solutions to climate change, I jumped. And, let's not forget the topic - our amazing island home and how it can be a model for the world! That's my Ted story....so far.

Painting