Édouard-Alfred Martel Édouard-Alfred Martel Édouard-Alfred Martel (1 July 1859, Pontoise, Val-d'Oise – 3 June 1938, Montbrison), the 'father of modern speleology', was a world pioneer of cave exploration, study, and documentation. Martel explored thousands of caves in his native France and many other countries, popularised the pursuit of cave exploration, introduced the concept of speleology as a distinct area of scientific study, maintained an extensive archive, and in 1895 founded , the first organisation devoted to cave science in the world. Édouard-Alfred Martel was born in Pontoise, Seine-et-Oise on 1 July 1859. Born into a family of lawyers, he studied at the
Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena £1,500 for cerebral palsy research. For all of their charity drives they perform 'lock-ins', where the group is sponsored to lock themselves in a 'haunted' building overnight. Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena The Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP) is a UK-based education and research charity, dedicated to scientifically investigate alleged paranormal and anomalous phenomena, with a view to approaching the subject in its entirety rather than looking into the psychology of individual phenomenon. The charity also incorporates various smaller groups, providing support during investigations. Paranormal Awakening and the Midlands Ghost Research Society belong