Copper Black Award winners

Traditionally, the long-term benefits of deep brain stimulation have been limited due to the use of pyrolytic carbon electrodes; however, the use of electrochemical electrodes composed of diamond has proven to significantly extend the lifespan of the electrodes, substantially reducing the risk to patients from repeated insertions into deep brain structures.

Traditionally, radiation treatment for brain tumors requires patients to make regular hospital or clinic visits — but not with GammaTile Therapy, which uses a radiation treatment device designed for inside the brain. Dr. David Brachman was instrumental in its development.

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.

For his creative classroom integration of Sudoku, a puzzle pastime enjoyed by millions, the Mensa Foundation is proud to award Jerry Martin of Grass Valley, Calif., the 2018 Copper Black Award.

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

For her work developing a successful teaching strategy to narrow, close, and even reverse historically pervasive achievement gaps among students from diverse backgrounds, we proudly awarded Susan McLaughlin, from Blue Grass Mensa, with the Foundation's 2016 Copper Black Award.

Fred Katz of Hauppauge, N.Y., received the 2014 Copper Black Award for Creative Achievement for his research and development of a motion sensor capable of discriminating between a home intruder and a wandering pet.

Kelly Cartwright of Yorktown, Va., is the 2013 recipient of the Copper Black Award for Creative Achievement. Kelly received the award for her work developing and implementing an intervention for those with children suffering from Reading Comprehension Deficit.

Capt. Gillet received the award for his work on the design and implementation of new tactical operations for special support and equipment in the United States Army.

Jerry Martin of Grass Valley, Calif., received the 2010 Copper Black Award for his “Saluting New Readers” (SNR) reading program.

Dr. Gary Flom of Stockbridge, Ga., received the award for his development of universal forceps.

Ian Cheong of Baltimore, Md., received the award for his discovery of a "cancer bullet" protein.

Dr. Harry I. Ringermacher received his second Copper Black award, this one for his invention of a flexible X-ray imager.

Kay Thomas, Ph.D., received the award for her creation of the Bilingual SpeedReading method of foreign language literacy learning.

Kathleen C.M. Campbell, Ph.D., received the award because of her work on protective agents to mitigate hearing loss.

Dr. Harry Ringermacher received the award for his work in transient infrared imaging technology has revolutionized the thermal imaging field.

Dr. Casimer DeCusatis received the award for his work on a new type of fiber optic data multiplexing system that allows back up of computer data remotely.

John Pellegrino received the award for his design for a Continuously Variable Transmission.