Sponsored by the Mensa Foundation, the Mensa for Kids Web site (www.mensaforkids.org) received a 2011 APEX Grand Award in the category of Electronic & Video Publications (Nonprofit/Small Office subcategory). Specifically, the award was given for the site’s online activity and lesson plans. According to the judges’ comments, they were impressed by the “brilliant lesson plans—wonderfully written and illustrated, and crafted to get students involved.”

The APEX Awards for Publication Excellence is an international competition that recognizes outstanding communications activities in all media. Of the more than 3,300 entries to this year’s competition, just 100 Grand Award winners were selected in 11 major categories; winners included the Disney Company, Sandia National Laboratories, Lockheed Martin, Kohl’s and Merrill Lynch.

To view and download the lesson and activity plans, visit the Parent/Teacher Resources section at www.mensaforkids.org.

Periodically, the Mensa Foundation hosts Colloquium events to help further its mission of identifying and fostering human intelligence for the benefit of humanity. All those who like to learn and share information should look forward to 2012 as the Foundation unveils two fascinating Colloquium events.

The first, “Bioterrorism Strikes Home,” will be held May 4-6, 2012, on the Kansas State-Olathe campus. Using the traditional Colloquium format, this event will be a comprehensive examination of the safety issues regarding plant, animal and human life and the threat of bioterrorist attack. The lecture schedule and meals will be held at a new, state-of-the-art facility in the Kansas Bioscience Park and near several facilities devoted to biosafety/security. Professional CE credits will be made available for medical, veterinary, food and public health professionals.

In order to further the reach of Colloquium’s educational efforts, the second event, “Social and Video Games,” is planned as a one-day add-on to the Annual Gathering in Reno, Nev., and will take place on Tuesday, July 3, 2012. With a registration rate of only $69, this event will bring the topics and speakers from last February’s popular Colloquium to the larger AG audience. The idea is already proving attractive to AG attendees as more than 30 attendees signed up in the first two weeks of registration.

To learn more about these upcoming events or to register, visit www.colloquium.us.mensa.org.

This spring, the Mensa Foundation launched two new programs on the Mensa For Kids Web site (www.mensaforkids.org). The first, The Year of Living Poetically, coincided with National Poetry Month (April) and includes 12 poetic selections with explications and memorization activities. The second, the Excellence in Reading Award, encourages kids to read quality books and in return receive a certificate and T-shirt. The program includes a reading list divided by grade levels.

During the summer, two new items were also added to the Educational Activity Programs in the Parent/Teacher Resources section. The Summer Fun activity has simple yet intriguing activities that can be done with common household items. In recognition of National Watermelon Day, another program was posted featuring several ways to celebrate this tasty melon.

Further, two new lesson plans have been added:

“I Need a Hero,” for high-schoolers

“Understanding the Influence of the Media,” for 8th graders

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.

Coming soon! The Mensa Foundation is joining forces with the Planetary Society to create a new lesson plan on the solar system that will be unveiled this fall.

To access all of the activity and lesson plans on the Mensa for Kids Web site, visit www.mensaforkids.org/teachers.

The Mensa for Kids Web site would not be possible without our generous donors. If you’d like to support programs like this one, visit www.us.mensa.org/donate.

Mensa Foundation benefactors, volunteers and enthusiasts took a break from the 2011 Annual Gathering to gather at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower to take in the panoramic views of the city and mountains, celebrate the Foundation’s 40th anniversary and honor those who contribute to Mensa’s philanthropic arm by donating time and money. Past Presidents of the Foundation were on hand to take part in the festivities and were recognized and awarded a plaque for their years of service. Past Presidents include Sander Rubin, Stuart Friedman, Francis Cartier and Michael Jacobson.

Mensa member Dr. Raymond G. Taylor is this year’s winner of the Mensa Foundation’s Intellectual Benefits Award, which pays tribute to a member of Mensa whose intellectual abilities have resulted in a substantial benefit to society. The award specifically recognizes his creation of the first integrated planning system for schools and communities that forecasts public school enrollments, finds optimal locations for new school buildings and sets distance-minimized boundaries for all schools to avoid overcrowding and to meet racial balance guidelines.

Dr. Taylor created the integrated planning system in 1989 while directing the Department of Educational Administration at North Carolina State University. In 1990, he established the Operations Research and Education Laboratory to bring operations research to education and the public sector. By 2011, Dr. Taylor’s integrated planning system had influenced more than $5.5 billion of new school construction.

“Dr. Taylor has made a difference in our educational systems by providing an operations research model for other school districts to follow,” said Greg Timmers, President of the Mensa Foundation. “Because of his integrated planning system, many school districts will be able to avoid overcrowding issues and receive the funding needed to build educational facilities. The Mensa Foundation is very happy to present the Intellectual Benefits Award to Dr. Taylor.”

Dr. Taylor’s integrated planning system was recognized by the International Forum for Operations Research and Management Science with its Edelman Award in 1999; the organization also inducted him as a Laureate in 2007 in recognition of the continued contribution of his system.

Dr. Taylor is an active member of Maine Mensa. He has earned seven university degrees, including doctorates in education and systematic theology, and has been a professor at North Carolina State University for 25 years.

To support this program and others like it, visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

The Foundation is proud to announce Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen of London, England, as the recipient of the 2010 Mensa Lifetime Achievement Award for his extensive research and published work on autism.

Dr. Baron-Cohen is the Director of the Autism Research Centre (ARC) in Cambridge, England; Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge; and Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is also Director of the Cambridge Lifespan Asperger’s Syndrome Service (CLASS), a clinic for adults with suspected Asperger’s syndrome, and has written several books about autism and Asperger’s.

“The Mensa Foundation appreciates Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen for his research into autism on a psychological, diagnostic and neuroscientific level,” said Greg Timmers, President of the Mensa Foundation. “According the Autism Society of America and the National Autistic Society (UK), more than 1.5 million individuals in the United States and more than half a million people in the United Kingdom have been diagnosed with autism. His studies and publications have educated millions around the world on this disorder, and we are very proud of his noble efforts.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 1999 to honor an individual’s contributions to the field of intelligence, giftedness or creativity. To win this award, one must have published an exceptional body of work in research, theory or other scholarly areas over a period of 15 years or more. Winners may be educators and/or practitioners in the fields of giftedness, brain function, human intelligence, creativity or intelligence testing. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.

For more information on the Lifetime Achievement Award, visit www.mensafoundation.org/lifetime. To donate to this program, visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.

The Annual Gathering’s youth program got a special boost this year from the Mensa Foundation. The programming for children ages 4 through 11 was divided into two groups—the Junior Ms and the Mini Ms. For two days, there was nonstop fun and learning as the kids learned about the science of Lewis and Clark with a special presentation from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; explored the Australian Outback, singing “Waltzing Matilda” and making Aboriginal dot paintings; made fake snow; participated in a wide variety of games; had special visitors from the Humane Society and the Planetary Society; took apart a plethora of electronics; and much more.

Four certified teachers, two in each group, led the activities and games. In the evenings, there was Story Time for Smartypants and Exploration Station, a free-play activity for parents and children. Through the generous funding support of the Mensa Foundation, the children were able to enjoy high-quality programming and materials, some of which was unique and particularly suited to bright young minds.

The Foundation also sponsored a Tween Room where kids 9-12 could hang out during the day and evening hours. Staffed by volunteers, the Tween Room provided a place for conversation and games of all kinds.

Teenagers benefited from a Teen Room that was hopping day and night with planned activities and ad hoc fun. Led by Teen SIG Coordinator Miranda Margolis, the teens learned to ballroom dance, had a scavenger hunt and enjoyed a host of other activities throughout the AG. On Friday evening, the Foundation hosted a Teen Focus Group poolside where teens gave feedback on their experiences with growing up gifted.

Overall, the AG youth program was a huge success due to the support in services and funding from the Mensa Foundation. Many of the activities enjoyed at the AG will be made available on www.mensaforkids.org for parents to use at home or Local Groups to use in their activities.

To support programming for gifted youth, visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate. To learn more about how gifted kids can become a part of Mensa, visit www.us.mensa.org/giftedyouth.

The Mensa Foundation recently received a letter from scholarship recipient Michelle V. Her letter highlights how important our scholarship program is to the growth and development of young minds. Read on to see for yourself:

Know a college-bound student who would benefit from a Mensa Foundation scholarship? Visit www.mensafoundation.org/scholarships for details. To become a scholarship donor, visit www.mensafoundation.org/donate.