Foundation News

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Keep up with the latest Mensa Foundation news and events by subscribing to Foundation Impact, a quarterly newsletter designed to keep Mensa members, donors, and the public updated on the projects and people of the Mensa Foundation.

Each issue features new programs, upcoming events, and profiles of the people who support the Foundation’s work.

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Your Support Makes Higher Education More Affordable

You are driving up the number of scholarship recipients as well as their awards, helping pave smoother educational paths for students around the world. And several new scholarships and increased award amounts set students up to unleash their intelligence.

2020 Mensa Foundation Award Winners Announced

This year, we’re honored to recognize a pioneer in the field of intelligence research, innovators whose creations serve to benefit disadvantaged individuals, researchers whose groundbreaking discoveries advance our understanding of the human body and mind, and educators who seek to ensure that the identification of gifted individuals is fair, equitable, and free of bias.

Beauty, Music, Movement, and the Mind

How much can science tell us about the ways humans experience aesthetic expressions? Inside the summer issue of the Mensa Research Journal, we examine an innovative but controversial area of neuroscience research: neuroaesthetics, or how the arts affect our cognition, psychology, and more.

By Marie Mayer, Interim MRJ Editor
At-home Learning Resources for Kids

With so many families finding it necessary to transform their homes into makeshift classrooms, the Mensa Foundation is here to help. MensaforKids.com features a curated lists of free and low-cost educational resources to enrich your child’s mind and ignite their excitement about learning.

Inside the Winter 2020 Mensa Research Journal

Explore the papers recognized by the 2018-19 Mensa Foundation Awards for Excellence in Research, including “Identifying Gifted Minority Students,” “Screening and Challenging Gifted Students,” “Sex Differences in Cognitive Ability,” and “Parents’ Perceptions of STEM Programs.” Plus research on handedness, language, and genetics; optimism and longevity; perceptual prediction; and a book review: In Search of Emotions.

By Marie Mayer, Interim MRJ Editor
Unraveling the Mysteries of Sleep

In the latest issue of the Mensa Research Journal, we attempt to unravel the mysteries of sleep and its effect on the brain, including how sleep deprivation affects attention and cognitive control; sleep spindles and their role in memory reprocessing and consolidation; and how napping may prove beneficial to brain health, especially in older adults.

By Marie Mayer
Memory Comes to Mind in Latest Research Journal

The summer 2019 Mensa Research Journal surveys the various aspects of memory, including the effects of memory on learning and cognition, successful memory aging, working memory performance, and memory, attention, and cognitive control.

By Steve Slepner
2019 Mensa Foundation Award Winners Announced

Ground-breaking, inspirational, creative, innovative — these are all words that apply to the winners of the 2019 Mensa Foundation awards. For decades, the Foundation has honored individuals around the world who are making giant strides to advance knowledge, education and research.

Inside the Network Neuroscience Theory of Human Intelligence

Like the brain, studying human intelligence can be curious, particularly when it comes to correlating quantitative measurements with specific biological factors. That is what makes so impressive the research of Dr. Aron K. Barbey, winner of the 2019 Mensa Foundation Prize.

By Chip Taulbee, Mensa Bulletin Editor
Winter Research Journal Celebrates 'Founder of Neuropsychology,' Excellence in Research Honorees

Rather than the usual examination of a single topic, the latest Mensa Research Journal takes a look at past Mensa Foundation Lifetime Achievement and Excellence in Research awards winners.

By Steve Slepner, Mensa Research Journal Editor
Charlie Steinhice Appointed Mensa Foundation Vice President

The Mensa Foundation has appointed Charlie Steinhice as its Vice President, replacing Eldon Romney, who is leaving the board after six years of service.

Fall Research Journal Explores Research Into Exceptional Geniuses

The November issue of the Mensa Research Journal looks at the current research into prodigies, polymaths, savants, and creative genuises.

By Steve Slepner, Mensa Research Journal Editor
Scholarship Essay Judges Needed

It’s one of most fulfilling feelings — helping students flourish achieve their potential through education. Volunteer today to help support the Mensa Foundation's College Scholarship Program.

By Jane Gmur, National Scholarships Assistant Chair
The 2019 Colloquium Topic May Be None of Your Business

Society has worked to strike an acceptable balance between personal privacy and public security as long as the two concepts have existed. Colloquium 2019 will explore how privacy rights have been transformed in the digital age and how they may yet change.

Now Accepting Applications for Foundation Scholarships

The Mensa Education and Research Foundation annually doles out more than $100,000 in scholarships, ranging from $600 to $2,500, to Mensa members and non-members alike.

Foundation Announces Gifted Education Fellowship

Designed to help teachers acquire a master’s degree in gifted education, the Foundation's Gifted Education Fellowship has a value of $5,000 per year and is renewable for one year.

Summer Research Journal Tackles Intelligence of the Artificial Kind

While this journal has always looked at human intelligence, we should also look at artificial intelligence, specifically that connection between human and artificial intelligence.

By Steve Slepner, Mensa Research Journal Editor
2018 Mensa Foundation Award Winners Announced

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Foundation awards, which recognize the research and support of intelligence both nationally and internationally.

Inside the Latest Mensa Research Journal

Our latest issue is devoted to the work of Dr. Howard Gardner, winner of the Foundation’s 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. Inside, you'll find developments on Dr. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory, including neuroscience reports and research testing the validity and reliability of the scaling.

By Steve Slepner, MRJ Editor
Alliance for American Manufacturing Leader Joins Colloquium Lineup

AAM President Scott Paul will explore the public policy and global issues affecting the manufacturing industry and how the United States can compete in the 21st century and beyond.