Mensa Foundation Newsroom

Mensa Foundation Prize Awarded to NIH Neuroscientist
May 16, 2023
Mensa Foundation Prize Awarded to NIH Neuroscientist

R. Douglas Fields, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and author of numerous books and magazine articles about the brain, has been awarded the fourth Mensa Foundation Prize for his research in plasticity and active myelination in brains related to learning and intelligence.

Mensa Foundation Appoints Two New Trustees to Board
December 13, 2022
Mensa Foundation Appoints Two New Trustees

The Mensa Education and Research Foundation has appointed Jeff Papa and Billie Lee as Trustees to its Board.

Accepting Nominations for $10,000 Mensa Foundation Prize for Creativity and Intelligence
November 29, 2022
Accepting Nominations for $10,000 Mensa Foundation Prize for Creativity and Intelligence

The Mensa Foundation is accepting nominations for its fourth biennial Mensa Foundation Prize, which rewards breakthroughs in the studies of intelligence and creativity.

Mensa Foundation Honors Danielle Posthuma for Research Identifying Genes Correlated with Intelligence
August 3, 2021
Mensa Foundation Honors Danielle Posthuma for Research Identifying Genes Correlated with Intelligence

Dr. Danielle Posthuma has been awarded the third Mensa Foundation Prize for her research directly identifying, for the first time, hundreds of human genes highly correlated to variations in intelligence.

Jeff Papa Named <em>Mensa Research Journal</em> Editor-in-Chief
July 8, 2021
Jeff Papa Named Mensa Research Journal Editor-in-Chief

Jeff Papa, chief of staff and general counsel for the Indiana Senate, has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Mensa Research Journal. Jeff brings new perspectives and innovative ideas to the position that will ensure the MRJ continues to publish research with broad relevance.

Mensa Foundation Celebrates 50 Years of Unleashing Intelligence
April 8, 2021
Mensa Foundation Celebrates 50 Years of Unleashing Intelligence

The Mensa Education and Research Foundation is celebrating 50 years of fostering intelligent solutions to real-world problems. Five decades of service have touched many lives, from scholarship and award winners to educators and researchers to our generous and thoughtful donors.

Michelle Rakshys and Nguyen Pham Join Mensa Foundation Board of Trustees
December 3, 2020
Michelle Rakshys and Nguyen Pham Join Mensa Foundation Board of Trustees

The Mensa Education and Research Foundation has appointed Michelle Rakshys, an Amazon executive, and Nguyen Pham, a Circlepoint marketing and communications manager, as Trustees to its Board.

Nominations Open for $10,000 Mensa Foundation Prize for Creativity And Intelligence
October 5, 2020
Nominations Open for $10,000 Mensa Foundation Prize for Creativity And Intelligence

The Mensa Foundation is accepting nominations for its third Mensa Foundation Prize, which rewards breakthroughs in the studies of intelligence. Presented biennially, the $10,000 prize was endowed by the estate of Kenneth Douglas Thomson.

Virginia and Indiana Educators Awarded Gifted Education Fellowships from the Mensa Foundation
July 28, 2020
Virginia and Indiana Educators Awarded Gifted Education Fellowships from the Mensa Foundation

The Mensa Foundation is honored to recognize Lisa Lewis and Aakash Chowkase with its gifted education fellowships, supporting the pair as they pursure graduate degrees and help to better our understanding the field of gifted education.

Southern Connecticut State Educator Honored by Mensa Foundation as Distinguished Teacher of 2020
July 28, 2020
Southern Connecticut State Educator Honored by Mensa Foundation as Distinguished Teacher of 2020

The Mensa Foundation is honored to recognize Dr. Walters, whose research and instructional approach exemplifies the Foundation’s mission to use intelligence to benefit humanity.

Immunity Researcher Honored by Mensa Foundation With 2020 International Intellectual Benefits to Society Award
July 28, 2020
Immunity Researcher Honored by Mensa Foundation With 2020 International Intellectual Benefits to Society Award

Helping scientists gain systems-level understanding of immunology, the impact of Dr. Wertheim’s innovations is hard to overstate, considering that the human race relies on the immune system for survival and the ongoing challenges of creating a vaccine for COVID-19.

New Jersey Educator Honored With Distinguished Teacher Award
June 24, 2019
New Jersey Educator Honored With Distinguished Teacher Award

Nominated by Mensa member Ingrid Bianca Byerly, Ms. Maull has taught students who became luminary musicians and educational influencers in Africa, Europe, Asia, and America. “She championed unique assets and tended individual challenges,” Ms. Byerly said.

USC Educator Honored by Mensa for Artificial Intelligence System Combating Human Trafficking
June 12, 2019
USC Educator Honored by Mensa for Artificial Intelligence System Combating Human Trafficking

For only the second time, the accomplishments of a single nominee have earned that Mensan two Mensa Foundation awards. The Foundation is proud to recognize Dr. Mayank Kejriwal’s work using AI to identify and prevent sexual exploitation with both the 2019 Copper Black Award for Creative Achievement and Intellectual Benefits to Society Award.

New Jersey Educator Honored by Mensa for Impact on Curriculum, Programming, and Policy
June 10, 2019
New Jersey Educator Honored by Mensa for Impact on Curriculum, Programming, and Policy

Recognizing her work as a gifted and talented teacher in Washington Township, N.J., her service in both state and national associations for gifted children, and her ambition to provide an educational environment that fosters creativity and critical thinking, the Mensa Foundation is proud to award Lynne Henwood with its inaugural Gifted Education Fellowship.

Mensa Hosts Symposium on How Privacy Rights Intersect with Technology
May 14, 2019
Mensa Hosts Symposium on How Privacy Rights Intersect with Technology

Four esteemed digital privacy experts — a top legal scholar on internet surveillance and the Fourth Amendment, a leading digital civil liberties advocate, a data policy expert, and a journalist who focuses on law and technology — will speak at the Mensa Foundation’s 2019 Colloquium — Privacy in the 21st Century: Mystery or Myth.

Mensa Foundation Honors Aron K. Barbey for Brain Connectivity Research
April 16, 2019
Mensa Foundation Honors Aron K. Barbey for Brain Connectivity Research

Professor Aron K. Barbey has been awarded the second Mensa Foundation Prize for his innovative research and significant advancement of the neuroscience of brain connectivity.

Nominations Open for $10,000 Mensa Foundation Prize for Creativity, Intelligence
August 29, 2018
Nominations Open for $10,000 Mensa Foundation Prize for Creativity, Intelligence

The Mensa Foundation seeks nominees for its Foundation Prize, which rewards breakthroughs in the studies of intelligence and creativity. The award is presented biennially by Mensa’s philanthropic arm, the Mensa Education & Research Foundation, was endowed by the estate of Kenneth Douglas Thomson, and includes a $10,000 prize.

Mensa for Kids Geeks Out Over Solar Eclipse
August 18, 2017
Mensa for Kids Geeks Out Over Solar Eclipse

Mensa for Kids is preparing for the Great American Eclipse by providing parents and teachers a free lesson plan. The plan includes learning opportunities and activities, as well as precautions for safely viewing the eclipse.

Anti-bullying App Creator Honored by Mensa Foundation
June 12, 2017
Anti-bullying App Creator Honored by Mensa Foundation

Creator of the successful “Sit with Us” mobile app, 16-year-old Natalie Hampton is being recognized for her creative use of technology to deter bullying and, furthermore, for her work as an anti-bullying advocate.

Mensa Honors DeepMind's David Silver for AlphaGo Program
May 24, 2017
Mensa Honors DeepMind's David Silver for AlphaGo Program

David Silver, who led Google’s efforts to develop the first computer program to defeat the world’s best Go players, has been recognized by Mensa with an inaugural award honoring discoveries in intelligence and creativity. The award recognizes both applied and fundamental discoveries in areas such as brain-related research, creation of tools and mechanisms for advancing such research, or any significant research that leads to an improved understanding of human intelligence, including artificial intelligence.