In March 2011, the Mensa Education & Research Foundation will celebrate 40 years of pursuing excellence in the study and use of intelligence. The Mensa Foundation was founded in 1971 as a subsidiary corporation of American Mensa, and in 1973 it gained tax-exempt status as a charitable institution. Since that time, the Foundation has expanded its reach and recognition internationally. One of the Foundation's stated goals is to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity, and a number of programs have been established to recognize research as well as to nurture intelligence overall.

• More than 75 issues of the Mensa Research Journal have been published, highlighting research related to intelligence from a diverse selection of nationally and internationally esteemed authors. Topics covered have included homeschooling for the gifted, artistic intelligence, fibromyalgia, intellectual property and measuring creativity.
• To date, two Intellectual Benefits Awards have been presented in the U.S., recognizing the application of intellectual abilities that result in tangible benefit to society, and the program has been expanded to include the International Award for Benefit to Society with three awards given at that level.
• Eleven Copper Black Awards for Creative Achievement by Mensa members have been awarded, and a second international Copper Black award has been instituted. Winning achievements have included an innovative approach to bilingual education; a "cancer bullet" that can destroy malignant tumors without toxicity to outlying tissue; and a new type of fiber optic data multiplexing system that allows backup of computer data remotely.
• 68 Awards for Excellence in Research have been given internationally for outstanding research on intelligence, intellectual giftedness and related fields. Excellence in Research topics range from educating gifted students to the heritability of mental processing speed, from predicting creativity in the arts and sciences to similarities between men and women with promise for scientific excellence.
• Eight Distinguished Teacher Awards have been presented in recognition of teachers, professors and instructors who have had an especially positive influence on the education or life of a Mensa member. Said one student of her instructor, "The love of language that [she] instilled in me led to a degree in linguistics. And even today, as a law student, I still hear her voice every time I come across a Latin legal term."
• More than 600 people attended six new Colloquiums as the event took a fresh start with the Foundation after a long hiatus. Mensa members and the general public came together to discuss consciousness, renewable energy, humor, cosmology, genealogy and weather with presentations from world-renowned experts in each field. The Foundation will host experts in the field of electronic gaming this February.
• Six Lifetime Achievement Awards, presented in recognition of a lifetime of contributions to the field of intelligence and related subjects, have been given; this program has also been expanded internationally. Recipients include Camilla Benbow for her work to identify different types of academically talented adolescents, and Dr. K. Warner Schaie, for his research in the field of geropsychology, which has resulted in changes in public policy including the raising of mandatory retirement ages from 65 to 70 in most fields.
• In the Foundation's largest ongoing project, more than 1,700 scholarships totaling over $700,000 have been given to college students, based solely on essays written by the applicants and reviewed by Mensa volunteers at the local, regional and national levels.

In 2007, the Foundation again made inroads into nurturing intelligence by sponsoring the Mensa for Kids Web site, featuring age-appropriate games and links for 6- to 10-year-olds, as well as study tips and resources for parents and teachers. Continuing efforts to benefit gifted youth, the Foundation began official sponsorship of gifted youth activities at American Mensa's annual convention in 2008, providing activities and guidance to kids from 5 to 19.

Also in 2008, the Foundation released its first Conversations with Mensa podcast, taking new ideas and fresh insights shared through the Foundation's activities and presenting them to the general public in an easy-access format. With seven Conversations currently available online and on iTunes, Mensa members and the general public can enjoy topics that include attention-deficit disorder, cosmology and the Music Genome Project.

The Mensa Foundation and everyone who has benefited from its programs extends their heartfelt appreciation for 40 years of support from its supporters and donors. We hope you'll take time in 2011 to celebrate the Foundation's 40th anniversary by making a donation. Through your support, we can continue to recognize research, support intelligence and nurture gifted youth; you really can help make dreams come true.

The Mensa Education & Research Foundation is pleased to welcome Willem Bouwens as its newest Trustee. He serves as an ex-officio representative on the board, representing Mensa International, Ltd.

Bouwens is currently the chair of MIL and is a member of Mensa Nederland (Dutch Mensa). He previously served as MIL 's Director of Development and Chair of Mensa Nederland.

The Mensa Foundation Board of Trustees manages the business of the Foundation. They also supervise the disposition and solicitation of donations to the Foundation.

For more information about the Mensa Foundation's Board of Trustees, visit www.mensafoundation.org/leadership.

The Mensa Foundation's Member Recognition Awards have been announced for 2010-2011. These named scholarships and Trustee Awards were created in order to spotlight individuals who have gone out of their way to support the Foundation.

New Foundation scholarships have been named after the following:

• Michael Jacobson, for his longtime service as a Foundation Trustee.
• Charles Rawlings, for his past service as a Trustee and generous help with the Mensa Research Journal.
• Sander Rubin, as one of the founding members of the Foundation.
• Roy Saper, for his role as an early Trustee and donor.
• Beverly Mandleblatt, for her support of the Foundation through donations and her endowment of a scholarship in her daughter's name.

Each scholarship is funded in honor of its namesake by the Mensa Foundation and is awarded to one college-bound student who is either a Mensa member or a dependent of a Mensa member. To learn more, visit www.mensafoundation.org/scholarships.

The Foundation is also proud to recognize the following individuals who have been chosen for the 2010-2011 Trustee Awards:

• Kent Van Cleave, for his past service as Editor of the Mensa Bulletin.
• Kathy Spaltro, for her past service as a Foundation Trustee.
• Kathleen Campbell, for her service as Chair of the Foundation's Awards for Excellence in Research Committee.
• Julie Ashley, for her service as a Local Group Scholarship Chair since 2002 and a Regional Scholarship Chair since 2004.

Each honoree receives a pen set and is recognized at the Foundation reception at the Annual Gathering if he or she is in attendance.

Individuals and Local Groups may also donate funds for a scholarship and name it as they wish. To find out more or to donate, visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

The member rate to attend Colloquium 2011: “Electronic Gaming and its Impact on Society” has been reduced to $169, which includes three meals over the course of the weekend. The non-member rate is $199; a limited number of student rates are available as well. This event will be held Feb. 18-20, 2011 , at the Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark in Austin, Texas.

Two roundtable discussions have been added to the schedule. Jamison Selby, Senior Producer at TimePlay Entertainment and Chairman of the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Game Developers Association, will lead a roundtable discussion on the gamification of society. Gary Gattis, President and Executive Producer at Spacetime Studios and past Chairman of the IGDA-Austin chapter, will lead a second discussion on a topic to be announced.

Friday night's program includes a screening of the 2008 virtual gaming documentary Second Skin. The film takes an intimate look at three sets of computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by online virtual worlds.

The Mensa Foundation offers periodic Colloquiums to further its 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. To view the complete event schedule or to register, visit www.colloquium.us.mensa.org.

The Mensa Foundation is able to offer events such as the Colloquium because of generous donations. To support the Foundation and its mission, please visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

Sponsored by the Mensa Foundation, the podcast series Conversations with Mensa takes the new ideas and fresh insights shared through the Foundation's activities and brings them to members and the public in an easy-to-use format at no charge.

In our newest conversation, the Foundation revisits our 2009 Colloquium on weather and weather changes. Mensa member, Weather Channel® meteorologist and "Hurricane Hunter" Warren Madden discusses the future of our weather patterns with Dr. Josh Wurman, creator of the Doppler on Wheels program and founder of the Center for Severe Weather Research.

Conversations with Mensa is available for download via the Foundation Web site at www.mensafoundation.org/conversations.

Conversations is also available on iTunes. Search for "Mensa" via the iTunes store or visit itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=317327876. If you enjoy the series, we hope that you'll take the time to rate or express your opinions on iTunes!

Direct ideas for future podcasts to conversations@mensafoundation.org.

American Mensa is proud to announce Lisa Van Gemert as its new Gifted Youth Specialist. Lisa will be working with Mensa's Gifted Children Program, which has more than 2,000 Young Mensan members. She will also serve as the liaison between Mensa and the National Association of Gifted Children. In addition to working with Mensa, Lisa will continue her work with the Mensa Education & Research F oundation by creating new and redeveloping current lesson plans and resources that are available for all teachers and parents who are working with gifted youth. These resources are available at www.mensaforkids.org.

Lisa comes to American Mensa from the Arlington Independent School District , where she worked as a secondary teacher and administrator. Additionally, she is a professional development facilitator and popular conference speaker who has trained more than 5,000 teachers how to better educate the gifted and talented. Lisa has also been a consultant for the Mensa Education & Research Foundation for the past year.

American Mensa has internal programs and tools for our gifted members and their parents such as Fred: The Magazine for Young Mensans and the Bright Kids elist, an online discussion group for parents, guardians and others interested in raising and educating bright children.

“Lisa Van Gemert is a wonderful addition to the Mensa Foundation,” said Greg Timmers, President of the Mensa Foundation. “One of the purposes of the Foundation is to serve the gifted youth of the world and, with her expertise, we can accomplish furthering the research of gifted youth and create new programs that will help steer our young members in the right direction.”

For more information about the Mensa for Kids program, log on to www.us.mensa.org/giftedchildren. To support programs for gifted youth, visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

The Mensa Foundation is pleased to offer a series of free lesson plans and activity plans created to encourage the intellectual and educational growth of gifted youth.

The latest lesson plan, “Probably Probability,” has been added to the plans posted at www.mensaforkids.org/teachers. You can also access them through the Parent/Teacher Resources section of the Mensa for Kids Web site, www.mensaforkids.org. This sixth-grade-level addition brings the total number of plans available on the site to 13, with more plans and ideas for gifted youth to be rolled out in the next few months.

Since these plans are designed to be completed with minimal supervision, they serve as independent coursework either in the traditional classroom or outside it. You can view the course materials online and download complete copies to hand to your favorite gifted student(s).

Further, a series of eight activity plans for gifted youth – and their young-at-heart friends – has been published at www.mensaforkids.org. These plans may be scaled up or down depending on number of attendees, desired level of complexity, etc.; they are also designed so that kids may not only attend, but easily be involved in the planning and preparation. Sample materials such as invitations and certificates are included with most plans.

Get the latest news about the Mensa for Kids Web site by subscribing to the MFK Update enewsletter at www.us.mensa.org/enews.