A fascinating session about how to raise your overall satisfaction level in life. Unlock the secrets of why using your creative brain is a total game-changer. Dive into the differences between the “logical” and “creative” sides of your brain. We’ll explore how this can boost your physical and mental health, discover the long-term perks, and learn some cool tricks you can start using right now!

Danni Shinya Luo is a Pop Surrealism artist with a 12-year career in the gallery and entertainment art industry. Along side of her art career, she’s also deeply involved in the health and wellness community, with 10 years of experience teach Yoga, fitness, and meditation. Her passion is studying how to find happiness and achieve resiliency.

Contact Danni at

Meet in the hotel lobby at 4:30pm to carpool to the special free tour.

Excursion to the Museum of International Propaganda (Admission is free) in downtown San Rafael (www.museumofpropaganda.org) followed by dinner in the Arts District.

The museum’s collection of propaganda has taken over 30 years to compile and represents the political art of more than 25 countries, including N. Korea, Cuba, Nazi Germany, Vietnam, Iran, and the Soviet Union. The objects on display were mostly designed and financed by various governments, dictators, and special interests with specific political goals in mind. The exhibits guide visitors through 7 themes, techniques and styles of propaganda. We hope you will come away with an awareness of the influence propaganda has on our lives even today

International Propaganda Museum
1000 Fifth Ave, San Rafael

If your answer to any of the above is YES, this session is for you. I’m planning an informal relaxed sesion. Share if you want, listen if you prefer.

I have been a member of Mensa since 1972. For most of my life, I expressed my creativity in some form of visual art. I was a graphic artist and an avid photographer. As my sight fails me, I have turned to poetry to express my feelings.

Contact Judy at

Debate Room is a series of moderated, roundtable discussions, often on incendiary topics. It is NOT a shouting match! On the contrary, Debate Room tracks at various AGs and RGs have proven able to achieve a virtually pure signal-to-noise ratio even in rooms full of polarized Mensans. Understanding has been increased, and although strong views may not have been greatly changed, they have been refined while neutrals have become better informed.

My talk will cover some of the following: Many positive and negative aspects of psychedelics; a brief history of Altered States facilitating creativity; the 3 ages of psychedelics in the US; what I learned from my friendships with researchers; Two Icons who changed our lives because of LSD; the History of LSD; Hoffman’s last LSD thoughts; “Altered States” film; Marijuana, Peyote, Mescaline & Ketamine. I will share a few of my transformative experiences.

Lifetime member of Mensa, Polymath, Generalist, Multifaceted Mind and caring heart. He attended many Colleges and Universities, with a number of degrees; studied psychedelics for many years; was friends with many main LSD researchers; In 60’s lived in San Francisco; In 70’s was on the Esalen Staff for 3½ years, and also helped Joan Halifax start the Ojai Foundation.

Reflections on the experience of someone who wrote his first computer code in 1962, was in command of a Navy Seabee team in Vietnam, testified before a Senate Subcommittee, was once sued by George Lucas over a spreadsheet program and was once program manager of the first Inertial confinement fusion reaction project and a lot more.

Pete Antoniak is a retired Navy Commander, Professional Engineer, Software and book Author and long time MENSA Member who let the AG Joke Off a dozen times. His experiences in life are unique and fascinating.

Contact Pete at

Many members of Mensa are surprised to learn that some notable people don’t or didn’t believe the works of our Bard were written by a man from Stratford-on-Avon. Among these are: Charlie Chaplin; James Joyce; Sir Derek Jacobi; Justice John Paul Stevens; Charles Dickens; Malcom X; Claire Booth Luce; and John Galsworthy. Did these people sleep through English 101? What accounts for this anomaly? Join Dr. Richard Smiley for a thought-provoking talk on the Shakespeare authorship controversy.

Richard Smiley is a retired Educational Psychologist currently living in Anacortes, Washington.  He graduated from the University of Southern California with a PhD and worked as an educational psychologist for 35 years. Richard has been involved in the Shakespeare authorship controversy for 25 years.

Contact Richard at

Visitors to Tuscany and Umbria are often told that those basements, foundations, walls and wells underneath the glorious Renaissance buildings and piazzas are Etruscan. Who were these people, why do we think of them as mysterious, and did they leave a legacy beyond basements and foundations?

Barbara is a long-time member of Mensa, and a member of the Archaeological Institute of America. She worked as a CPA, but has had life-long interests in travel, archaeology, geology and photography. Her most recent trip to Tuscany and Umbria brought all of those interests together.

Contact Barbara at

Melanie Swan, PhD, MBA is a Research Associate at the Centre for Blockchain Technologies at University College London and a Primary Investigator at DIYgenomics with research interests in solving human-facing problems with conceptual frontiers in science and technology.

Many psychotherapists fail to base their therapy on the First Principle: our emotions and behaviors come from our thinking about events, not from the events themselves.

I am a clinical psychologist, author of 5 books, a podcaster, a Psychology Today blogger, and supervisor of therapists. I was a colleague of Albert Ellis.

Contact Michael at

Join me and my expertise in uncovering the long-forgotten stories of the past. Learn of the rivalry of close brothers to the undecided currency of past America, or meteor-struck desert glass. By taking a moment of your time, you will be one of the prestigious, select few who will see the physical the physical objects behind these rare, long forgotten stories.   (led by Rowan Kloski, 11yo, for other gifted youth and any adults interested in ephemera)

Rowan Kloski, 11 years old,  is happiest when he is finding out new hidden stories behind the world in which we daily live. Attending 6th grade, Rowan also likes almost everything!  Interests include: fencing, computer games, stamp collecting, talking to knowledgeable people about their interests, prototyping…and all while having a happy attitude and a great smile 🙂

Contact Rowan via his dad Nick at

Lana Lee is SFRM’s Gifted Youth Coordinator and Region 8’s Regional Gifted Youth Coordinator. At a national level, she serves on both the Gifted Youth and Marketing Committees for American Mensa, the strategic planning committee for the Mensa Foundation and served on the board of the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (GHF).

Contact Lana at

2025 will be the 100th anniversary of the “Trial of the Century”: Tennessee vs John T. Scopes. The first major sally against the teaching of evolution in the US, and, mostly because of the fictional play and movie “Inherit the Wind”, Scopes is wrongly perceived as a victory for evolution over the forces of obscurantism. The full story is much more complex and interesting, involving science, religion, law, education, politics, celebrities, modern communications, and the politicization of science.

Dr. Eugenie C. Scott is an expert on the creationism and evolution controversy and science denialism. The former director of the National Center for Science Education, she is the recipient of numerous awards from scientists and educators, and has been awarded ten honorary degrees. Asteroid 249540 Eugeniescott was named for her but she assures us it is not aimed at Earth.

Contact Eugenie at

Protecting personal privacy has become a more significant issue in recent years with the advent of new technologies and the proliferation of personal information. The federal government collects and uses personal information on individuals in increasingly sophisticated ways for things like law enforcement, border control, and enhanced online interactions with citizens. In the private sector, commercial entities collect, share, and sell vast amounts of personal information for marketing and other purposes. The collection or use of personal information by the federal government is governed primarily by two laws: the Privacy Act of 1974 and the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002. 

There is also no federal statute that gives consumers the right to learn what information is held about them for marketing purposes and who holds it. And there is no overarching federal privacy law that governs the collection and sale of personal information among private-sector companies. Companies increasingly use numeric scores to predict how consumers will behave. These scores are based on hundreds of pieces of information about a person’s purchases and personal characteristics. Scores are used, for example, to target ads or provide individualized pricing. Unlike traditional credit scores, these scores may not be subject to consumer protection laws that seek to ensure fair and transparent treatment. 

How can we address the threats to anonymity and other privacy risks of emerging technologies used for law enforcement or commercial purposes (such as geolocation and biometric applications)?

Debate Room is a series of moderated, roundtable discussions, often on incendiary topics. It is NOT a shouting match! On the contrary, Debate Room tracks at various AGs and RGs have proven able to achieve a virtually pure signal-to-noise ratio even in rooms full of polarized Mensans. Understanding has been increased, and although strong views may not have been greatly changed, they have been refined while neutrals have become better informed.

Please join SFRM Membership Officer, Barry Krasner, and LocSec (President), Jennifer Storm-Alves, for a new member meet and greet! Whether you are brand new to Mensa (what is a SIG? AG vs RG?), or someone who may have rejoined after a lapse… or maybe you’ve never left Mensa (relocated from another local group to SFRM)- please stop by! We are happy to introduce ourselves and answer your questions about Mensa and SFRM. Come for a few minutes or the whole session to mingle as you please! We are looking forward to meeting you!

Contact Jen at
Contact Barry at

Join forces with other Mensa secret agents to crack codes and solve ciphers in this exciting crime scene investigation. Prizes await!

Jen will share key background information with parents about what it means to be intellectually gifted or twice exceptional, how these kids develop and learn, explore some common but confounding quirks and patterns, present evidence on why more isn’t necessarily better, and discuss why it all matters – not just to us as parents but to society as a whole. Next, Rick will discuss his work with gifted/2E kids as a master STEM teacher and how he lights the fire by honoring their natural curiosity.

Jen has been an educator for the past 20+ years, currently serving as a director of curriculum and instruction, identifying and honoring the needs of the gifted and twice exceptional students who are so often misunderstood. Rick has been a teacher for 16 years and continues to inspire kids through his work as a master STEM teacher at a Bay Area independent school.

Contact Jen and Rick at

Motorsports probably began when the second automobile was produced and someone said, “mine is faster than yours”.  Originally, races were held on public roads. Then for various reasons, including safety and financial, automobile racing moved to closed courses. But the thrill of competition and the joy of overcoming obstacles could not be confined to a closed course.  A new sport evolved to enjoy automotive competition safely and legally on public roads.  That is the sport of road rallies.

Dr. Robison worked in industry for 30 years, lectured at Sonoma State University for 20 years, and served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 22 years. He also found time to organize and participate in countless road rallies for over 60 years.   Now retired, his hobbies include writing (short stories and books) and, of course, road rallies. Dr. Robison is also the author of Project Math, a guide to the mathematics of project management, and the recently published Spreadsheet Models for Statistics.  Both are available on Amazon.

Contact Jim at

Designing a Game and the Importance of Creativity | Matt Minter

I would like to share my journey as a musician, writer and game designer. I will be discussing the importance of engaging with creative outlets, breaking down your personal barriers, and allowing yourself to engage in things that spark your interest and curiosity. Participants can also play a test session of Chaos Melody: a D20-based roleplay game set in a futuristic world filled with strange technologies and magic. Each session will have a maximum of 6 participants and will last approximately 45 minutes.

My name is Matt Minter. I’ve been telling stories through various mediums for most of my life. My love for music, art and collaborative storytelling has led me to creating Chaos Melody so others can tell stories of their own inside my fictional world.

Back in the heady days of the mid 1990’s collectible card games were yet to be invented. Sure, there were baseball cards, but could you really “play” them? Magic the Gathering started the collectible card game genre! MTG generates over $1.1B in revenue per year. Why? Because it’s great fun to play and to collect! Attend and learn the basics of how to play, and learn-by-playing with some beginner-friendly decks.  I put together 30x decks that I plan on giving away at the talk, to the first 30 people who show up and/or want one.  These will be FREE (or small up-to $5 donation to cover my cost only if desired) to the first 30 takers.  The decks are immediately and fully playable, and the session will leave time for attendees to play a game for themselves.

Nick Kloski lives in Walnut Creek and is a happy husband and father. Interested in 3D printing, epic poems, fencing, all forms of creativity, and people who are kind to other people.

Contact Nick at

Join Region 8 Regional Vice Chair for a discussion about American Mensa, Region 8, and your local groups. Please come with your questions, thoughts, and ideas.

Michael Eager is the Regional Vice Chair for the Pacific Intermountain Region which includes SFRM and ten other local groups from Alaska to Montana to Nevada. Previously he served multiple terms as SFRM’s Local Secretary.

Contact Michael at

Designing a Game and the Importance of Creativity | Matt Minter

I would like to share my journey as a musician, writer and game designer. I will be discussing the importance of engaging with creative outlets, breaking down your personal barriers, and allowing yourself to engage in things that spark your interest and curiosity. Participants can also play a test session of Chaos Melody: a D20-based roleplay game set in a futuristic world filled with strange technologies and magic. Each session will have a maximum of 6 participants and will last approximately 45 minutes.

My name is Matt Minter. I’ve been telling stories through various mediums for most of my life. My love for music, art and collaborative storytelling has led me to creating Chaos Melody so others can tell stories of their own inside my fictional world.

Come to this fun and informative session to learn about role playing games (RPG’s) and how they are more accessible than ever.  You might have heard that this is the 50th anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons but did you know that there are hundreds of other role playing systems out there?  This talk will show you how collaborative storytelling through deeply meaningful world-imagery can be something you can do with a group, even one other person, or even alone!  

Nick Kloski is a Mensa member living in the East Bay (Walnut Creek / Danville).  For years he has collected RPG systems and enjoyed thinking about how to create worlds of meaning through those systems.  An English major by schooling, but a techie by trade, Nick brings a good balance of perspectives to this topic 🙂

Contact Nick at

Immigration: Do we want it? Do we need it? Can we manage it? And how?

These are some of the Immigration questions we can debate. If you want other questions, email me: Do we want it? Do we need it? Can we manage it? And how?

These are some of the Immigration questions we can debate.

Debate Room is a series of moderated, roundtable discussions, often on incendiary topics. It is NOT a shouting match! On the contrary, Debate Room tracks at various AGs and RGs have proven able to achieve a virtually pure signal-to-noise ratio even in rooms full of polarized Mensans. Understanding has been increased, and although strong views may not have been greatly changed, they have been refined while neutrals have become better informed.

This talk will explore the politics of the “math wars” in California and my experience as a public school student. Math education has a long history of debate and revision. Every eight years, California updates its recommendations for teaching math. The latest Math Framework, approved in 2023, has had ignited a fierce debate between equity and global competitiveness. This talk will delve into implications positive and negative the Math Framework to the gifted learner, and my own math journey.

I am a junior at Palo Alto Highschool. I am an advanced math learner and have completed several college level math classes – several in person at Stanford University.

Contact Elizabeth at

Some observers claim that advertisers are using subliminal techniques to inject sales messages directly into our subconscious, where they can impact our behavior at a direct, insidious, almost hypnotic level. Most strongly associated with a time when the creative revolution in advertising became intertwined with 1970s pop psycology, believers in subliminal advertising saw the word SEX hidden in ads, as well as disembodied genitals, alternative hidden ad scenarios and bizarre Jungian symbology chock full of skulls, death masks and weird animals. But was subliminal advertising real or merely pareidolia and pervy imaginations? And, if real, did it really make people buy stuff? Come see some egregious examples and decide for yourself.

Gregg Siegel – Gregg Siegel is a freelance advertising copywriter, short humor writer, former freelance joke writer for several late night shows and comedians, and a competitive performance punner. None of these activities utilize subliminal techniques. As far as you know.

Contact Gregg at

Surprisingly invited back for a fourth time to enjoy and facilitate our members sharing their sense of humor.

Contact Ed at

I am Michael Chai, vice-chair of the board for the World Cube Association. I have been speedcubing since 2015 and have helped organize numerous local and regional competitions. As an intentional leader focused on developing and growing the people around me to succeed, I spend the majority of my time focused on driving the vision and direction of the hobby and sport.

You can contact Michael at

Neil Harris, a Lifetime Mensa Member, moderated debates as a High School teacher. He has studied and followed AI for many years.

Debate Room is a series of moderated, roundtable discussions, often on incendiary topics. It is NOT a shouting match! On the contrary, Debate Room tracks at various AGs and RGs have proven able to achieve a virtually pure signal-to-noise ratio even in rooms full of polarized Mensans. Understanding has been increased, and although strong views may not have been greatly changed, they have been refined while neutrals have become better informed.