Registration

If you have not yet registered, you can do so online. If you prefer, you can download this form and mail it in. Registration is $80 through September 4, 2017, $90 through December 31, 2017, $100 through May 15, 2018; $110 thereafter and at the door. Attendees age 7-20 are half price and children 6 and under are free.

Day rates are available! Friday is $25, Saturday and Sunday are $55 for a full day or $25 for attendance 8:00a-5:00p. Monday is free with a donation to the scholarship fund.

 

Hotel

The RG will be held at the Doubletree Intercontinental, 15747 John F Kennedy Blvd, Houston, TX 77032. The Gulf Coast Mensa room rate of $99 per night includes passes for two people to enjoy the breakfast buffet in Oakley's Restaurant each morning. Make your reservation online or call 281-848-4000. Please note that the breakfast offer is only included if you book with the GCM block. Other rates will not include the breakfast passes.

 

Travel

Flying: You will want to book your flights through Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). There is a free courtesy shuttle from the airport to the hotel that takes only 5 minutes. Call the hotel at 281-848-4000 to request a pickup.

Hobby Airport is 27 miles from the hotel; cab fare is about $40.

Driving: From Beltway 8, Sam Houston Parkway, take JFK Blvd exit. Go north on JFK for half a mile, turn left into hotel parking lot at 15747 JFK Blvd.

 

Schedule

The following is the tentative schedule for SynRG 2018. This will be updated as we finalized and confirm with our speakers. You can find details on the program below.

 

 

Keynote Speaker

 

My Favorite Pirate, Jean Lafitte (and Others)

Lou Graves MacBeth, Lafitte Society

Pirates have sailed the seven seas for centuries. From Biblical days until present day, they have preyed on unsuspecting vessels; some as revenge for unfair treatment, some to earn a living, and some to satisfy their greed by taking from others. The Spanish Inquisition spawned pirates like Moses Cohen Henriques, sailing with Dutch pirates, and Sinan Reis who sailed as a Barbary corsair along with Ottoman Privateer Hayreddin Barbarossa. Familiar names like Henry Morgan, Henry Every, Captain Kidd and Blackbeard, show up in what is considered the “Age of Piracy”—the 1600 and 1700’s. Names like Anne Bonney and Mary Read are less familiar. Yes, there were women pirates. We will hear about all of them.

Laffite was at the very end of the sailing ship days and possibly one of the last pirates to haunt the shores of America. Born in France in the late 1700’s, Laffite and his crews sailed the Gulf of Mexico from 1803 until the 1820’s. He smuggled goods into New Orleans where his older brother, Pierre, had a business that provided an outlet for Jean’s booty.

After distinguishing himself on the American side of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, Laffite was unfairly banished from his base on Grand Terre, an island in Barataria Bay, southwest of New Orleans. From there he came to Texas, not yet a part of the United States, where he established a fort and commune on Galveston Island. Campeche, the name he gave his base, eventually had a thousand men and a few women. Laffite directed his fleet from Maison Rouge, his large (reportedly red) house facing Galveston Bay, on the east end of the Island. Sailing as privateers under a Letter of Marque from Cartagena, they attacked ships flying the flag of Spain—Cartagena’s enemy.

Laffite’s stay on Galveston Island impacted Texas history when some crew members, who stayed when he left, fought in the battles for Texas’ independence from Mexico. Others settled in areas around Galveston Bay, including Taylor Lake, Bolivar Peninsula and Virginia Point. Although only here for four years—from 1817 to 1820—his life and his legend live on in history books, novels, and movies.

A historical organization, The Laffite Society of Galveston studies the life and times of Jean Laffite. It was established in 1994 as a follow-on to the Laffite Study Group, a group of academia who had studied Laffite for more than 30 years. The Society’s archives are collected in the library at Texas A&M University-Galveston and are available on-line. These archives are considered the most comprehensive history of Jean Laffite.

So, the stories of Laffite go on!

Lou Graves MacBeth is native Galvestonian and retired from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Her passion is history—particularly Galveston history and Jean Laffite. Her ancestor Sheldon Graves was a blacksmith who arrived in Galveston in 1838 only twenty years from when it was a pirate’s den. His two sons arrived later with their mother. Son John became a blacksmith and Edward a steamboat engineer. Edward served as Second Engineer on the cotton-clad ship CS Neptune in the Battle of Galveston on January 1, 1863. Lou MacBeth is a member of Sidney Sherman Chapter, Daughters of the Republic of Texas and charter member of The Laffite Society. She is an annual speaker at OLLI (Oshner Lifelong Learning Institute) and gives presentations to numerous historical organizations. Her presentations include a discussion of Laffite’s men who remained when he left Galveston, "The Crew Left Behind," “The Village of Saccarappa," about a settlement on Galveston’s East End before the city of Galveston was established, and “Jewish Pirates" at the request of a Bay Area Hadassah.

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Events

 

Pride O' Bedlam

Be ye a captain or lowly swabbie "The Pride of Bedlam" has something for your sea chest. If you are searching for a bunch of rum drinking, sea shanty slinging pirates look no further. For 10 years the crew has tellin' tales and singin' songs to drink and roar along with, so bring a yo ho ho and a bottle of rum and prepare yourselves for a piratical good time with the captain and crew of the good ship Pride O' Bedlam.

The Pride O' Bedlam will be traveling from their home at the Sea Devil Tavern at the Texas Renaissance Festival to join GCM and kick off our Saturday night. Piratical costumes are not required, but they are HIGHLY encouraged.

 

SynRG Poolside Mixer

Be sure to arrive in time on Friday night to mix it up with your fellow Mensans for a lovely, informal, night time poolside get together. Some light snacks will be available, beverages can be brought from hospitality (no glass please) and bring your swimsuit to take a dip! More details to come!

 

Carnelli

Come join a lively round of Carnelli, a game designed to test your ability to think on your feet, as well as your knowledge of trivia, history and culture. It is a "word association" game using titles of books, movies, songs etc. Carnelli is a parlor game created by Jan Carnell, a member of the Metropolitan Washington chapter of Mensa. This game has been popular at Mensa gatherings and science fiction conventions for years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnelli

 

Fish Bowl

An open and forthright discussion of sex and the sexes! Participants will submit questions anonymously. Men answer questions posed by women and vice versa! The doors will be closed for the duration once Fish Bowl begins. If you have to ask what happens at Fish Bowl, then you don't know what you are missing. Of course, what happens in Fish Bowl stays in Fish bowl...

*This event is for adults (18 and over) only.

 

Mensa Admission Test

The Mensa Admission Test is offered for the convenience of those individuals interested in joining Mensa who either: 1) do not have a qualifying intelligence test score on a previously-taken exam (see partial list), or 2) prefer to take the admission test.

This test is intended for individuals 14 years of age or older, so if you are between 14 and 17, you must have parental permission to take the test.

The Mensa test has two parts, so you'll have two chances to qualify for Mensa membership! Allow 2 hours total for the two tests. The standard Mensa Admission Test features "fill in the blank," "which item comes next," and "which one doesn't belong" sorts of questions, as well as some math and vocabulary.

As an added bonus, anyone who sits for the test is invited to stay and enjoy Saturday at the RG at no cost.

To sign up, please contact our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Dr. Who TARDIS Mystery Logic Game

The GameMasters of Gallifrey

The GameMasters of Gallifrey present you with a challenge. The TARDIS has been tampered with, and you must seek out and query various holographic projection characters from its memory banks to gather the clues to solve the puzzle and repair the TARDIS. But watch out! Due to the tampering, one of the characters just might be lying….

This logic puzzle mystery game is designed to be played by teams of players of all ages and does not require any knowledge of Dr. Who trivia to be enjoyed.

 

Name That Movie!

John & Geri Neemidge

Name That Movie consists of short clips from about 40 movies. Each movie clip presents one or more themes. We ask that you identify each movie and the themes. Play as individuals or as a team of up to 6 members. We try to make each clip interesting on its own, so even if you don't know movies very well we hope the game will be entertaining. Clips (not the movies themselves) are chosen to be PG or G rated. We'll provide a key with information about each movie and themes at the end.

 

Battledecks

Battledecks (a.k.a. PowerPoint Karaoke) is an improvisational game based on the worst aspects of PowerPoint presentations.. Contestants make up presentations using slide decks they have never seen before. The slide decks are often made up of random images, slides from a different subject area than that of the title, or inspirational messages.

 

Babies of Mensa Playdate

Calling all BOMs! Babies of Mensa that is. If you haven't heard, there's a new SIG in town for Mensan parents of kiddos below the age of three. And our first big meet and greet is at SynRG! Come find us in the fan-cooled pavilion located poolside on Saturday at noon for a picnic lunch. Bring a blanket, some munchies, your favorite toys, swimsuits, and of course, your baby. Let's get these baby brains together for some quality time with new faces in new places! Join our SIG on Facebook for extra playdates and if you have any questions, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. See you there!

 

Hoser Meet & Greet

Laura Smith

It's not a secret or a mystery. If you have any clue, you'll be at the Hoser Meet and Greet, poolside. Anyone who has ever been curious about the hype surrounding the controversial, yet cohesive crew of camaraderie should definitely join our party! The awesomeness will be evident!

Laura Smith has been a member of Mensa for more than 10 years. She is a former LocSec of Tucson Mensa and has held various positions in other local groups, including her current group, Lone Star Mensa.

 

 

Scotch Whisky Tasting

Jason Seiler

Have you ever wanted to try Scotch whisky, but you don’t know enough to order it in a bar? What is the difference between a Highland, a Lowland, and an Islay? Wait, isn’t whisky spelled with an “e”? Known whisky enthusiast Jason Seiler will help with these and more as he presents on the origin, etymology, and process of making Scotch whisky. During the presentation, participants will be treated to six servings of whisky, each a single malt aged 10 years or better, and one each from the six whisky-producing regions of Scotland. And if you attend his excellent presentation last year, Jason states that 5 of the 6 whiskies are completely different!

Jason Seiler is a martial arts instructor, firearms instructor, RVC for American Mensa, and a known Scotch whisky aficionado. He has been giving private tastings from his personal collection of 80+ single malt whiskies for over a decade, providing small groups from different organizations with education and experience in the water of life.

 

HELL's M's Meet & Greet

Taz Criss

Wonder why all these people are wearing black shirts with an attack owl on them? Do you want a shirt of your own? Just trying to figure out what it actually means to be a Party Animal? Join HELL's M's ExComm member Taz Criss to learn more about this long-running SIG and connect with other members.

 

Silent Auction

Various items donated by GCM members as well as some of the speakers will be auctioned. The proceeds will be given to the GCM Scholarship Fund.

 

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Speakers

 

As we schedule speakers, we will provide updates. Check back regularly!

 

What Can Winston Churchill Teach Us?

Jonathan Sandys

With stories both familiar and some known only to family, Sir Winston Churchill comes alive again through the vibrant words of his great-grandson, Jonathan Sandys. Jonathan includes fascinating insights and lessons from Churchill's life, his military and political career, his private family life, and of course, his unparalleled wit and wisdom. Jonathan's energy, enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of his great-grandfather has helped influence the lives of many business leaders, teachers, ministry professionals and students.

Jonathan Sandys is a great-grandson of Britain’s wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, and an international public speaker on the life, times and leadership of his illustrious relative. Jonathan is the co-author of God and Churchill, which presents evidence strongly supporting Sir Winston’s own view that his life was both guided and protected by, as he put it, ‘Divine intervention.’ Jonathan sees it as his mission to continue the amazing legacy of his great-grandfather and, through his leadership course Lead Like Churchill, pass on Churchillian leadership skills to all generations.

 

Sam Houston

Charlie Fogarty

Most people think of Sam Houston only as a Texas hero, but he was a great American hero as well. Charlie Fogarty will speak on Sam Houston's great contributions to not only the Republic of Texas, but also the United States of America.

Charlie Fogarty is one of those rare native Houstonians. He has been described by a friend as a "hopeless serial entrepreneur."His first business was a picture fram shop that he opened with $244 cash, a $500 bank loan, a pregnant wife, and a 3-year-old son. Over the next 33 years he opened 43 stores, started 2 chains of picture and frame stores, and in 1983 was named one of "Ten Outstanding Contributors to the Picture Frame Industry."

In 1984, Charlie found the local Goodson's Cafe was for sale. He and his son Jimmy were partners in Goodson's Cafe for over 18 years. After working on his new concept steakhouse for over 2 years, Charlie sold his half of Goodson's Cafe to Jimmy in 2003. In 2005, Charlie opened the Steamboat House. Steamboat House is an award-winning Texas steakhouse and Texas history museum, a tribute to Sam Houston and the heroes of the Republic of Texas.

For his work in preserving and promoting Texas history, Charlie was made an honorary member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas in 2009, and on April 5, 2014, he received their highest award when he was made a Knight of the Order of San Jacinto. The organization has over 4,500 members and only 34 living knights!

 

Hurricane Harvey Recovery and Mitigation: Environment, Equity and Resilience

Adrian Garcia

Hurricane Harvey hammered the Texas Coast and Houston region with record breaking rain and flooding. Almost 200,000 residences were flooded in Texas, many were homeless then, and in the months since. Some people died, while hundreds of thousands suffered. Over the past eight months the fight has been over tens of billions of dollars for recovery and protecting against future threats. Decisions are being made now about which communities and residents will get increased protection.

While transparent decision making and citizen involvement are important, initial estimates and final decisions are being made without significant input from citizens. Worse yet, some communities, especially in Precinct 2 on eastern side of the Harris County, have increased needs for recovery and protection because of historic underfunding there, in addition to Harvey’s flooding and potential hurricane storm surge in future.

After eight months, and more than $10 billion to spend and secure our safety, it’s up to our leaders and the public to get informed and involved to impact the decision process to ensure funds are spent effectively, environmentally and equitably for the greatest number of residents to be secure and to recover quickly.

 

The Bayou City Cruiser - USS Houston CA-30

Mark Lardas

Can a city have a love affair with a warship? For fifteen years, the city of Houston did with an US Navy warship. The ship was the Houston, the first warship named for the Bayou City - a name chosen after a year-long campaign by the city.

The ship was a cruiser, one of the best-looking warships ever built. When its keel was laid in 1929 it was a symbol of everything right with the still-young twentieth century. It was modern and powerful, just like the city it was named for. Houston adopted its namesake cruiser as its own, showering it with gifts, and making its crew welcome the four times the cruiser visited the city.

The ship proved worthy of the city for which it was named. Between 1931 when it was commissioned and 1942, when it was lost in battle it served as flagship of the Asiatic fleet twice, provided a home for President Franklin Roosevelt four times, and fought in the desperate Pacific battles  at the opening of World War II.

The Bayou City Cruiser is a tale about a ship and its city; a history of a proud warship and its relationship with the equally proud city for which it was named. The tale involves a sitting President, a future President, a gallant last stand and a city’s reaction to the loss of its favorite ship.

Mark Lardas, the author of over twenty books, writes about maritime and military history. He specializes in Texas maritime and naval history, but is interested in just about anything that floats – and really any history about the technology of transportation. By day he is a technical writer and a quality assurance manager at an aerospace manufacturing company. In previous lives he worked on the Space Shuttle program (primarily as a navigation engineer) between 1979 and 2011, and in the oil industry for several years after that. A man who never met a useless fact he did not find fascinating he has been a frequent speaker at SynRG.

 

Archaeology Through the Connoisseur's Eye: Iconological, Literary, and Formal Analyses of Ancient Artifacts

Chris Kilgore

Christopher Kilgore will discuss his original research into two important sculptures in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. One is a small ceramic costumed dancer from Pre-Columbian Mexico, the other a magnificent bronze ruler statue dating from the Roman empire. Equally ancient but radically different in material, conception, execution, and cultural context, the two artifacts yield surprising insights when examined in the light of art historical analytical methods. Chris will share how he used this non-quantitative, often intuitive approach to reach a level of understanding impossible to achieve through a purely scientific assessment of the objects.

Christopher Kilgore is a cognitive archaeologist, art historian, and raconteur based in Houston. He has spoken at numerous RGs and AGs and has presented his original research at museums and universities in the United States, France, Britain, Spain, and Belgium. Since 2013, he has been a featured lecturer in the École Doctorale of France's Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, the world's oldest natural history museum. Chris is currently the Art History Writing Fellow at the University of Houston, where he received the Blain Endowment scholarship and the SuMo Art award for art historical writing.

 

Water Terrorism Through the Ages

John S. Grounds III, PhD, PE, CFM

Vulnerabilities to our water supply and infrastructure are not new to the 21st century. Attacks have led to devastating impacts to our health, commerce, and recreation. Wells have been poisoned, rivers realigned, and dams destroyed by terrorists and as acts of war since the dawn of history. The actors include biblical kings, the Weathermen, and Leonardo di Vinci. An anecdotal overview of some of these events will be presented.

John S. Grounds, III, PhD. PE, CFM has been a water resources professional for 30 years. He has researched extreme event rainfall during tropical storms and hurricanes, determined the yields of water supply reservoirs, designed large-scale sewer tunnels, and is an advocate for elementary school education starting “Science Nights” to give kids hands-on experiences with the physical sciences.

 

The History of Kilts

Sam Waring

Kilts and tartans ... they are icons of Scottish culture, and have been for centuries. But when did kilts begin? When did tartans begin? Did Robert Bruce and William Wallace wear kilts? Why wasn't King George the Third able to stamp out kilt-wearing, despite punitive laws? How much of Outlander is made up from whole cloth, so to speak, and how much is accurate? Can I wear a kilt too, even though I'm a full-blood Patagonian?

Sam Waring will talk about all these issues, along with giving some tips on what to look for if you decide to start wearing a kilt yourself, and how to ignore self-appointed and officious Kilt Police.

Sam Waring is a Scotsman from a long line of Scotsmen, some of whom were less belligerent than others. (Offhand list of Highland clans he can claim descent from: MacArthur, MacPherson, Campbell, MacBain, and MacDowell. And that's not to mention the Lallans and the Sassenachs.) As a boy, he attended his first Scots-themed event in 1970, to which he went as a boy Scot.

For the past fourteen years, Sam has been one of the staff at Things Celtic, formerly of Austin and now of Dublin, Texas. During that time he's been a calendar model, a Celtic booth bunny, and the guy who knows how to pat the shop computers on the head to keep them running. He pretty much lives in kilts these days, both for comfort and for the compliments on them he gets from strangers on the street.

In a past life, Sam was the bass drummer for a pipe band, and was a member of Lone Star Mensa for two decades, holding most of the chapter offices in that time. He lives in Austin (where he not only remembers the Armadillo, he WENT TO the Armadillo) with his wife and younger child. The current RVC for Region 6 has been known to address him as "Daddy."

 

He is Talking - Why Can't I Understand Him?: Stories of Language and Chemistry

Charles Hammond

Charles Hammond will discuss how language defines what we are capable of understanding. How your language shapes you’re reality. How our need to be right can inhibit our understanding. Why it is necessary to promote value and functionality vs explaining the technical details in the market. Charles will review the chemical language from soap to controlled release antibiotics. Charles will also present ideas on how to improve chemical literacy.

Charles Hammond has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Indiana University. His chemistry focus is at the oil water interface and how molecular structure impacts performance. In 2013 he received a Distinguished paper award, and in 2015, the Samuel Rosen Award for industrial applications of surfactants. He is an entrenched problem solver with 32+ technical publications. He is a change agent with focus on taking products that add value to market. The markets include household, I&I, pulp and paper, personal care, agriculture, lubricants, textiles, metal working, pharmaceutical and most recently oil and gas with focus on enhanced oil recovery.

 

Jean Lafitte: An Agent for Manifest Destiny

Tom Linton, Ph.D.

There are usually two sides to every story. I have sought to develop one for that mysterious pair who turned up in New Orleans around 1802 calling them selves – either Lafite, Laffitte – or was it Lafitte?

I propose this alternate explanation. In researching the subject I became dissatisfied with what I found – and even more skeptical with what I didn’t find. My research turned up too many inconsistencies and unanswered questions This caused me to suspect that there was another possible - different yet plausible - explanation that would fit the information I had found: “There seems to be another way of interpreting this Lafitte/Laffite/Laffitte story.”

So I set about developing an explanation – based on the information I had found – that could be the way it really happened. Jean Lafitte was an agent for manifest destiny – In other words, a “Hired Gun!”

Dr. Tom Linton is a marine biologist by training and an amateur student of history by curiosity. He is a longtime member of the Galveston Lafitte Society; and that association is what initiated his interest in this subject.

 

New Frontiers: Exploring Our Solar System

Leonard Ferguson

NASA’s strategic objective in planetary science is to figure out the content, origin, and evolution of the solar system and the potential for life elsewhere. This goal is pursued by seeking answers to fundamental science questions such as: How did our solar system form and evolve? Is there life beyond Earth? & What are the hazards to life on Earth? The New Frontiers Program seeks answers to these questions by exploring our solar system with frequent, medium-class spacecraft missions that conduct high-quality, focused scientific investigations.

The New Frontiers missions now in progress are exploring everywhere from near-Earth orbit to the far reaches of our solar system – beyond the orbit of Pluto. We will discuss current missions, some of the discoveries to date, the scientific value of these missions and what lies ahead.

Leonard Ferguson is an active amateur astronomer with a particular interest in our sun and variable stars. He is a longtime volunteer at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's George Observatory, conducting classroom presentations during public star parties and assisting with the operation of the domed telescopes. He is active in Fort Bend Astronomy Club, assisting with educational programs and helping to support and organize club meetings and activities and writes stargazing articles for several publications.

 

The Care and Feeding of a TARDIS

Chris Williams & McCartney Taylor

The BBC’s long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who features the TARDIS - the Doctor’s iconic time-traveling spaceship - which is recognized worldwide and adored by fans. So we just had to have one. And then the surprises began….

Join McCartney Taylor and Chris Williams as they discuss design considerations in building a life-sized mock-up of the TARDIS, the logistics of deploying the TARDIS at events, and some unexpected security complications involving overzealous fans. Learn how McCartney and Chris incorporated Dr. Who fandom and cosplay to develop a series of games centered on the TARDIS and evolved their own cosplay characters the GameMasters of Gallifrey. Appreciate the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey as they officiate a wedding, party with Winston Churchill and seek the Sixth Doctor’s autograph.

Chris Williams lives in Austin with his wife Patty and their two outlaw poodles. He is currently writing futurism and science fiction.

McCartney Taylor lives in Austin with his wife, dog, and TARDIS. His main hobby is annoying his wife.

 

Food Preservation

Melody Smith

Humans have survived in every climate on the planet by virtue of food preservation, and we've become very good at it. You might not even recognize some of the things we consume as preservation methods! Animals and microorganisms all vie with us for calories and nutrients. If you want to eat tomorrow what you harvest today, come learn about some ways we do that: dehydration, canning, fermentation (meat, veggie, and alcohol), infusion of alcohol or oil, and more. What keeps us safe, and for how long? Part historic overview, part how-to. Samples provided.

Melody Smith has been a member of GCM since 2010, and is married to fellow Mensa member Griffin Smith. Self-described as crunchy, she spends her time caring for their two children, learning to garden, and cooking without gluten or MSG. If you're looking for Melody, look for a barefoot woman with children literally climbing on her, likely still smiling. Consider bribing Melody with high quality tequila, chocolate, or potted plants.

 

Forecasting the Future

McCartney Taylor

Forecasting tournaments are accuracy games that impose an unusual cognitive discipline on how you must go about making probability estimates of the possible consequences of policy options, natural phenomena, and political outcomes. Find out where you can join to forecast the future, learn how to avoid the cognitive biases, and discover why intelligence is only part of the needed skills.

McCartney Taylor is the CEO of Blackbeard Data, and a data analyst. He lives in Austin, with his wife and dog.

 

Ancient or Modern? The Surprising Story of the Hebrew Language

Lynn Abrams

Some 3200 years ago, Hebrew began as both a written and a spoken language. After the year 70 CE, the second Temple was destroyed by the Romans and the Jews were dispersed from their homeland. Hebrew continued to exist, but mainly in its written form as a language of prayer.

It may have continued down this path except for one determined man who single-handedly brought a “dead” language back to life. This extraordinary story is unparalleled in linguistic history.

When you arrive, you will hear the story of this unique individual. Before you leave, you will be able to speak a few words of Hebrew, and read a Hebrew word. Shalom, y’all!

Lynn Abrams has worked in fields ranging from computer programming to group work, editing to creating Logic Puzzles. She is a long-time volunteer with Boy Scouts and Big Brothers Big Sisters, among others. She is the author of the Ten Dinosaurs children’s book series and the Discovery Prize-winning picture book, The Tale Of Lucky The Dog. After living for several years in Israel and learning the language, she shares her enthusiasm for Hebrew by teaching adults to read and speak this ancient, modern language.

 

Understanding DNA Testing

Susan Woodill

The use of DNA testing has grown exponentially in popularity over the last few years. Understanding the basics of DNA, the different types of testing currently available, and how to best utilize the various companies will be explained.

Narrowing and concisely understanding your genealogical needs and/or goals will help you to determine the type of test or tests you should choose, as well as what they can, and cannot, do for you. Once tested, there are ways to download and further utilize your raw data files with a variety of tools available on various websites.

Susan has been doing genealogy research for over 35 years and has recently started her own business, focusing on research, DNA, teaching, coaching and lecturing. She also does volunteer photography for Find A Grave and enjoys hanging out in cemeteries.

In her "other life," she worked for one of the largest tax preparation firms in the US for over 20 years, serving in many capacities, including preparer, multiple office manager, instructor and hiring agent. She now owns her own business - Death and Taxes, LLC. She is an Enrolled Agent and holds a Master's degree in Taxation.

 

The Manned Orbiting Laboratory

Dr. John Charles

Sometimes life is like a movie. Think of the scene when the hero finally finds the lost artifact, after years of searching, hope fading. In that moment, his years of study let him recognize it immediately, no matter how ravaged and incomplete it is. He points out features and fixtures, present or missing, and names them as his fellows approve and agree.

That doesn't happen often outside of the movies. It happened to me recently. Sort of.

My particular lost artifact was a piece of equipment from a long-cancelled space program. It was not lost as much as it was long neglected, hidden in plain sight in the wrong place as it gradually decayed.

So begins Dr. John Charles' story of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, a joint effort of the U.S. Air Force and the top-secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

Dr. John B. Charles retired as Associate Director of NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) for Exploration Research Planning on February 22 after nearly thirty-three years as a life sciences investigator and manager. He has also worked as an Associate Manager for International Science, leading NASA’s space life sciences planning for the joint US/Russian one-year mission on ISS, including the Twins Study, and HRP's Chief Scientist, assuring a balanced portfolio of funded research to resolve the greatest risks to humans on space expeditions.

John earned his B.S. in biophysics at The Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics at the University of Kentucky. He has been at the Johnson Space Center since 1983, first as a postdoctoral fellow, then as a civil servant. He co-developed the fluid-loading countermeasure to protect Shuttle astronauts from fainting during re-entry and landing, and investigated the cardiovascular effects of space flight using ultrasound, in-flight lower body negative pressure and re-entry data recording on the Shuttle and on the Russian space station Mir. He coordinated NASA’s biomedical, biological and microgravity investigations as Mission Scientist on Mir, on STS-95 (John Glenn’s Shuttle flight), and on STS-107 (Columbia’s last mission). He also represented the life sciences to NASA’s human Mars mission planning activities in the 1990s.

Dr. Charles is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (ASMA) and has been a member since 1983; he is the 2017-2018 President of its constituent Space Medicine Association. He is also a Full Member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and co-chaired the 18th IAA “Humans in Space Symposium” in Houston in 2011. He has published 75 scientific papers and space history articles and has received several professional awards, including the National Space Club and Foundation’s Eagle Manned Mission Award (2017), ASMA’s “Joe Kerwin” (2011) and “Hubertus Strughold” (2001) Awards, and NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal (2000) and Exceptional Achievement Medal (2014).

In retirement, John is a NASA emeritus employee (half time, no pay) so he can continue applying his experience to enabling humanity’s future beyond Earth. He also blogs in his spare time.

 

Richard III

Amanda Vermillion

Shakespeare and Tudor historians portrayed King Richard III as a hunchbacked villain who murdered his own nephews to steal the throne of England, but many modern historians, and contemporary supporters who call themselves "Ricardians", think he got a bad rap. Let's explore various sides of the story as we attempt to uncover the truth about the princes in the tower and other medieval mysteries.

Amanda Vermillion has been a member of Mensa since 2004 and is a former Assistant LocSec of Gulf Coast Mensa. She is originally from the Northeastern U.S. but now lives in Seabrook, Texas, with her husband and pets.

Amanda is the owner of The Tea Mistress, LLC, an event planning and retail tea company. She also serves as Director of Lone Star Houston Tea Festival, Inc., the 501(c)3 non-profit organization responsible for the Lone Star Iced Tea Festival and the Houston Tea Festival. Amanda became interested in Medieval European history after reading a historical romance novel as a teenager. Thirty-eight years later, it still remains one of her favorite historical periods to read about. She hopes you'll enjoy the tea in the hospitality room and her talk on Richard III!

 

Artificial Intelligence

Irina Kazanfar

Aren't you amazed that you can say "Hey Google" and a little plastic device starts listening to you, apparently understands your request and responds to it intelligently? You probably know that the technology behind this little wonder is called Artificial Intelligence. You might even have heard about Machine Learning and Neural Network. Let's discuss these terms in more details. I want to show you a real working Machine Learning code. Perhaps even write it in front of your eyes. You will be surprised to see how simple the code is. Then we will train it, right on my laptop, and then will use it to make predictions. You will be surprised again to see that the code actually learn to do the task. We will further discuss how AI transforms the world.

Irina Kazanfar has a PhD in physics and 15 years of work as a geophysicist in the oil & gas industry. She is interested in technology and thinks that AI will bring revolutionary changes in our lives. She takes advanced courses in Machine Learning on MOOC platforms. She is also interested in politics, languages, music and gardening.

 

Meet the AMC

Taz Criss

Q & A about Mensa at the National level hosted by our Regional Vice Chair for Region 6, Taz Criss. Taz will be joined by First Vice Chair Lori Norris and the Regional Vice Chair for Region 2, Jason Seiler.

Taz is a second-generation Mensan who joined as a teenager. She has served in various roles in local groups and SIGs. Taz was first elected as RVC for Region 6 in 2015 and began her second two-year term in July 2017. Her leadership style is uniquely honest, upfront, and jovial. If confidence were inches, she would be 10' tall.

 

Anthropopsychiatry: The Fourth Revolution in Psychiatry and the Unified Science of the Mind

Dr. Bill Skiba

Dr. Bill Skiba's late-life project is to promote what he calls "Anthropopsychiatry", which is a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding human behavior. His thesis is that the modern Science of the Mind requires a combination of the fields of psychiatry, neuroscience, biological anthropology (including evolutionary theory and primatology), and molecular biology (including genomics).

A major goal is to bridge the gap between the psychiatrists and the biological anthropologists. In his quest, he has been surprised to encounter so much resistance, which he hase analyzed by thinking about it as the intertwined three areas of conscious, unconscious, and institutional resistance. Bill will also discuss the relationship of these ideas to dealing with the perils of the Anthropocene (climate change, ecosystem destruction, and the Sixth Extinction).

Dr. Bill Skiba has a PhD in biochemistry. He went to medical school and became a Board-Certified psychiatrist, then became a member of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society (the premier society for biological anthropologists), and has read a lot of neuroscience!

 

Are You Prepared For Your Financial Life? Ask Any Questions

Myrna Agris

Myrna Agris
Associate Vice President
Financial Advisor
Financial Planning Specialist
MORGAN STANLEY
NMLS#1262347
Phone: 713-658-2735
717 Texas Avenue, Houston, TX 77030

 

 

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Kids' Track

Parents, please be sure to bring a completed release form for your kids! Print it out, sign it, and return it to us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Alternately, you may print it out and bring it to the RG, although that will slow your registration process.

Come with full energy to our youth program. For those kiddos coming from out of town, sleep is a waste! Let’s stay awake all night for endless fun and activities. Several activities have limited spaces, early registration is strongly recommended, reserve your spot and supplies today!

 

CSI vs. Reality

Houston Forensic Science Center

An overview of most of the forensic disciplines we practice at HFSC as well as a few that we do not. We'll test your smarts when it comes to recognizing what is real on TV and what is fake.

Parents, please be aware! The content being represented about controlled substances and firearms will be done from a scientific point of view. You must decide if the content is appropriate for your child/children.

 

CSI Hands-on Activities

Houston Forensic Science Center

The younger kids will have a few activities that will challenge them, but will not require as much focus as the activities the older kids will go through.

The youth will get hands-on experience dealing with latent fingerprinting (learning about fingerprints, their characteristics, comparisons, and development), get a look at what firearms examination is like and how attention to detail is important when looking at those comparisons, and get exposure to what it's like to test seized drugs and what the HFSC analysts are testing for and how.

 

Come and Meet Your Wild Neighbors

Cathie Coudert

Come learn about some of the animals that are in your backyard and how to help them if they are in need. Then meet an owl and find out what she ate last night by dissecting an owl pellet.

Cathie Coudert is an owl educational ambassador for Friends of Texas Wildlife. Friends of Texas Wildlife is a non profit organization that rehabilitates orphaned, injured, and displaced wildlife. They receive no funding from any local, state, or federal agency.

 

Improv Workshop: Life Unscripted

Les Carpenter

“All the world is a stage”… and no one handed me a script. In this workshop participants will play games and learn life practices derived from improv theatre. It is a great way to both have fun and gain insight into yourself, those around you and the way community functions. Key skills are teamwork, listening and enhancing creativity.

Les Carpenter is an accomplished improviser and teacher of improv comedy. He began his training at Comedysportz in Indianapolis and quickly was invited to join their professional team. Les has performed in a variety of capacities in theatres around Houston including Station and Beta theatre. More recently he co-founded Overflow, an intergenerational improv troupe in Cypress, TX in partnership with Project Make-Believe, a non-profit which uses improv for emotional and traumatic healing. Les is a published author on the intersection between improv and leadership, and has developed curricula in which he regularly uses improv for trainings in leadership, conflict management and theology. Les is also a priest in the Episcopal church. Find out more about him at aidanschurch.org.

 

Pirate crafts or Pirate scavenger hunt (time permitting)

Ray and Sarah Richards

Ray and Sarah Richards have headed up the GCM youth program since mid-2015. Under their leadership, the program has grown at a stupendous rate and is now considered to be the gold star standard of gifted youth programming for American Mensa local groups. Ray was named the 2017 Gifted Youth Coordinator of the year for American Mensa.

 

Adaptations of Birds Through Time

Kris Linberk

Why do birds have different bill shapes and different feet? What happens if we interchange an eagle's bill with a robin's feet? How do birds adapt to their environment? We will build our very own birds based off of different adaptations and find out how different wing shapes and sizes determine a bird's survival.

Kris joined Harris County Precinct 4 Trails as Parks in 2015 as a naturalist. Previously, she has worked in Quito, Ecuador at the Escuela Politecnica Nacional as an instructor and at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as a park interpreter. Kris is a Texas Master Naturalist, a member of the Houston chapter of T.O.W.N and the Piney Woods Wildlife.

 

Crafts

Ray and Sarah Richards

Make a personal time capsule.

 

EV3 Programming

James McGill

Have you ever wanted to program a robot to do your bidding?  Well now you can start your plans for world domination using Lego Mindstorms Ev3!  This will teach you how to program a Lego robot to move, follow lines, respond to touch, make sounds, make faces and more!  Note that you must provide a Windows or Mac computer and that space is limited. World domination not included.

James McGill has been mentoring a First Lego League (FLL) robotics team in programming for the past 4 years. His oldest daughter Kyna has been on the FLL team for the past 7 years and his youngest, Ava, was part of FLL for the past 2 years. James also taught a special interest group on Lego robotics programming to Girl Scouts last summer.

 

Egyptian Archaeology Treasure Hunt Adventure

Ray and Sarah Richards

Follow the trail of five national archaeological teams from all over the world as they search for the tomb of Thutmose IV!