The 2011 Colloquium, “Electronic Gaming and Its Impact on Society,” to be held Feb. 18-20, includes gaming, communication, psychology and media experts. The Foundation is proud to announce the following panel of speakers and discussion topics.

The Keynote panel:

Richard Garriott, “Lord British”

As a founder of Origins Systems, Destination Games, and Portalarium, Garriott has produced such games as Ultima, Bioforge, and City of Heroes.

Warren Spector

Spector has been involved as a developer of notable games including Ultima Underworld I and II, System Shock, and Thief: The Dark Project, Deus Ex, Deus Ex: Invisible War, and Thief: Deadly Shadows.

Gordon Walton

As a Studio Manager, Walton worked on Star Wars Galaxies, The Sims Online and Origin System's Ultima Online. He is currently co-studio director at Bioware Austin and has overseen the development of more than 200 games in his career.

Colloquium attendees will also attend presentations focusing on the following topics:

Dr. Debra Lieberman has confirmed as the final Colloquium speaker. She is a lecturer and researcher who focuses on the psychology and design of human-computer interaction and on processes of learning with interactive media. She will address gaming and health, potentially including rehabilitation, weight loss and other health issues that surround electronic gaming.

Colloquium 2011 will take place at the Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark in Austin, Texas. This three-day event is made possible, in part, by donations to the Mensa Foundation and will bring together game developers, psychologists, and researchers with Mensa members, students, and the interested public.

Colloquiums help further the Foundation's mission of identifying and fostering human intelligence for the benefit of humanity. Attendees gather to learn and share information on a chosen topic with each other and experts in the field. These unique events are presented by the Mensa Foundation.

Visit www.colloquium.us.mensa.org for more information and to register.

Michigan elementary and charter school teacher Heather Jenkins was awarded the honor of the Mensa Education & Research Foundation's Distinguished Teacher Award. Jenkins teaches mathematics, social studies, language arts, and reading at Keystone Charter Academy in Belleville, Mich. She was nominated for the award by her fourth grade student, Mensa member Nicholas Eller.

In his nomination essay, Eller wrote: “Mrs. Jenkins gave me a math book that is two levels above my classroom level book because she saw in me that I love math and want to be challenged more. She pushed me out of my comfort zone into more difficult and challenging work to keep my brain working hard.” His eagerness to learn has led to a double promotion from the fourth to the sixth grade.

Funded by donations to the Mensa Foundation, the Distinguished Teacher Award recognizes a teacher, professor, or instructor at any educational level who's had an especially positive influence on the education or life of a Mensa member. The educators can impact the Mensa members directly or as a result of their influence on the education of a family member. The teacher selected is presented with a cash award from the Mensa Foundation. The corresponding school receives a plaque. Previous winners can be viewed by visiting www.mensafoundation.org/teachers. To support programs like this one, visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

Mensa members who donated to the Mensa Foundation in the past year were honored at the 2010 Foundation reception at the Annual Gathering in Dearborn, Mich.

“The Mensa Foundation reception is held each year at Mensa's Annual Gathering to recognize those who have been such generous supporters of the Foundation,” said Greg Timmers, Foundation President. “This year was special as we were able to present the Distinguished Teacher Award to our 2010 winner, Heather Jenkins, and the person who nominated her, Nicholas Eller, was also able to attend.”

Donations to the Mensa Foundation support Mensa's national scholarship program, reward international research on intelligence and giftedness, encourage the development of programs for gifted children, and support educational programs like Colloquium and the Conversations with Mensa podcast series. For more information, visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

It was another night of excitement, frivolity, and wackiness as the GenX SIG presented its highly anticipated Mr. Mensa Competition at the Annual Gathering in Dearborn, Mich.

Mensans Keith Armonaitis, Doug Dorman, Tomas Kubes, Gary Rimar, Rob Salkin, Ben Sussan, Sam Waltz, and Chris Wright competed in a number of categories, including talent, evening wear, sexy legs, and question-and-answer. The contestants were then auctioned off to the highest bidders, who won an evening out with one of the participants.

“At the start of the show, there's a vibe backstage among the guys that they're all in this together, so they make the best of an unpredictable situation,” says Trebor LeFebvre Whearty, the official stud wrangler and stage manager for Mr. Mensa. “After they get a feel for the rhythm of the show and sense the audience's enthusiasm, their apprehension turns into real camaraderie. They start enjoying the show and generously give ‘attaboys' for others' onstage successes. It's difficult to predict what material will work with a live audience, especially for these guys who haven't had a rehearsal and for the most part have no experience performing.”

The auctioning of the competitors, along with an auction and raffle for a chance to judge the event, pulled in $4,185 for the Mensa Foundation's Judy V. Scholarship fund.

If you would like to donate to a specific scholarship fund or to the Foundation in general, please visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

Long one of the more popular events at Chicago Area Mensa's HalloweeM Regional Gathering, Pretentious Drinking came to the 2010 Annual Gathering in Dearborn, Mich., to raise money for the Mensa Foundation's Helen Kupper Scholarship Fund.

“Pour-meister” Alan Baltis and a small army of volunteers acquired rare and/or higher-priced libations for attendees. For $15 ($20 at the door), participants could sample cordials, aged whiskeys, prestigious vodkas, and more. More than 300 Mensans took part in the festivities, all of whom were provided transportation to and from the event.

The August issue of the Mensa Bulletin showcases Foundation Trustee Dave Felt's accomplishments as a successful Proctor and presents his ideas on how to strengthen Mensa's testing program.

Here is an excerpt from the feature:

If you're an active Mensan in California , you probably know Dave Felt. If you like to attend Annual Gatherings, you've probably seen him, even if you didn't know it. For the past 33 years, Felt has been an active member, to say the least. He's at most every AG these days. He's the guy you see snapping away, flash bulbs popping, as he captures all the unforgettable moments. You can find many of his great photos throughout the annals of the Bulletin.

Felt is also a Proctor—a good one. He was named the 2009 Proctor of the Year, and he routinely tests among the largest number of potential members in the country. When he's not testing, he's likely busy as a Trustee for the Mensa Foundation. He even finds time for his day job every once in a while.

Dave has been a Foundation Trustee since 2001 and has held various other leadership positions within American Mensa on both local and national levels. Mensa members can read the feature by logging onto www.us.mensa.org/bulletin and viewing the August 2010 issue in the Bulletin archives.

2010 marks the 50th anniversary of Mensa in North America, and we'd like you to help us celebrate!

If you'd like to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mensa in North America in a special way, why not consider a $50 donation (or more) to the Mensa Foundation? Your donation will honor Mensa by helping foster intelligence around the world. Donations may be made at www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

Looking for a more permanent way to celebrate this anniversary? Become a member of the Mensa Foundation's Walk of the Minds by purchasing a commemorative brick! Your name and message will be cemented into history in front of American Mensa's National Office in Arlington, Texas. For more information on the Walk of the Minds, visit www.mensafoundation.org/walkofminds.