mensanthropist [ men-san-thruh-pist ] noun
a person, who actively participates in fulfilling one of Mensa’s objectives by fostering and utilizing intelligence for the benefit of humanityIn this episode, I am bringing an interview with, Cinthia Reyes, a true mensanthropist who helped to build the local Mensa chapter in Mexico.
„Profa Cinthia Reyes“ studied Chemical Engineering and later a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering with a focus on polymer processing, playing with the morphology of foamed materials. She got her PhD in Information Technology with education orientation, applying inverted classroom and analyzing attitudinal changes.
As a high school teacher she has taught courses in physics, chemistry, mathematics and English, among others. Currently she is a Full time Professor (“Profa” is the female short version of it in Spanish) at the School of Chemical Engineering of the University of Guadalajara (certified by CACEI). Cinthia regularly publishes YouTube videos about science for both academic and general public audience, with the goal to improve scientific judgment in the society.
Cinthia, what do you see as the meaning of your life, your ultimate life goal?
Actually, for many years I have struggled to find smart ways of making things better for as many people as possible…
That is how I decided I wanted to study Science. I thought people can do things by hand, but you need Engineers to take things one step further, and then again, you can learn/do/teach Science to have a broader effect. That is why I actually joined Mensa, because I read the objective regarding „using intelligence for the benefit of humanity“. It resonated deeply with my own vision.
When and how did you learn about Mensa initially?
There were a few members in my country back in 2007. One of them told me I „should“ do the test, as it could be useful (when looking for a job) to have an external organization prove that I was actually smart. I didn’t know much about Mensa beyond having heard the name at some point, by means of a foreigner magazine.
There was an American guy applying tests right that month not so far from my home. So I did it. The next weekend I received the notice from Mensa International, they told me I had passed the test and I was invited to join. They sent me the digital version of the Constitution where I read this objective… and I fell for it.
That month, this American person invited everyone he had ever tested to meet in a small meeting because he was not going to be able to apply tests in the future. He was hoping any of us would be interested of doing so. When we met, none of us really knew what Mensa „was“ or should be. We were just discussing what we would like it to be, according to what we had read. This American, Thomas, heard me daydreaming, and he proposed everyone there to „elect me“ to do the job…
We started doing stuff and some months later we contacted the other DIMs (Direct International Members) in our country, telling them we were actually doing our research and trying to get things working. We wanted to become ENM (Emerging National Mensa) and we wanted them to join the fun. I was elected as „National Chair“ and we started developing the structure and all that.
What did/do you do for living?
I did some detours in life.. I became an Engineer, I was hoping to become a scientist, but after my postgraduate degree I decided I needed to learn how „the real world“ worked… I worked for Hitachi at the Research and Development department. Unfortunately, they were moving the site to The Philippines, so we were all coming close to lose our jobs (this is when I was suggested to test for Mensa).
After Hitachi closed, I started teaching and started my PhD. Today I’m a Chemical Engineering full time professor at a Public University, I have a science communication YouTube Channel and a teaching YouTube channel on pedagogy -every now and then- and Chemical Engineering lessons.
I just closed Robokab, a robotics school for children I had for 6 years.
Within Mensa, I was Chair twice (for four years), we became ENM (Emerging National Mensa) and PNM (Provisional National Mensa), we had it all set to become a full chapter, we only needed more members which eventually happened.
I was the national membership officer for two years after that, then I started the gifted children area. Sadly, after I left the gifted children area, the volunteer who took it over was not consistent, and it has sort of came down to debris. 😕 That happens with volunteering.
Can you recall the very first moment in your childhood when you figured out you want to dedicate your life to helping other people?
I don’t know for sure how old I was. It must have been while still on the elementary school.
I remember I was talking to my elder brother. He is four years older than me and he has always been my „scientific inspiration“. We were discussing how people’s life has improved within time thanks to science. He had books with dinosaurs, he received pictures from NASA – you could actually send them a letter to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and they would reply with free A4 size colored pictures with lots of info in English, which I couldn’t quite understand then.
But in science it can often be too long way to see the results. Do you ever doubt if you’re putting your effort in the right thing?
Yes, that is also a difficult topic when talking about Science. You need basic science to be done and then you wait for ages for someone to use it. I am not centered on basic Science because of that.
I studied Chemical Engineering and I thought on working on such processes but by the time I started my PhD I had already taught science and other stuff, so my PhD is actually on IT but focused on improving educational strategies.
I hope being in touch with people at different levels and helping them learn, and learning to learn by themselves, as well as critical thinking will improve their quality of life. That can help in so many areas from their own health: food choices, this new mask or no mask debate on COVID, you name it.
My first teaching experience was at a public high school, it was not easy for me to „get my students“ and help them „get the signatures“ I was trying to teach. I have taught children, teenagers, and lately, engineering students.
I have found myself frustrated more than once seeing that what I was hoping to happen, didn’t happen.
When I joined Mensa and started structuring and so on, I really hoped it would become this place were people would join to „start their own projects to help others“, but that didn’t happen that way. Of course Mensa is useful in other ways. People find a place where they can feel free to be smart, they find friends, etc… Some of them „even“ get to do useful things for others. 😆
What in your opinion is harder? To get an idea on how to efficiently be helpful, or to make the first step towards turning that idea to reality?
I think the hardest thing is to identify your limitations. From what you dream you can do to help others and how reality actually works and how far you can really go.
I was in my twenties when I joined Mensa and all this. I was way too idealistic. I was disappointed to find Mensa is also a place where people have issues based on their ego and some people are just mean to others. That made me sad. Also, when you leave a position and find other volunteers abandon it…
So, maybe the hardest thing for me is to understand that different people have different expectations and that the next project you choose must be more strategically chosen so your energy is focused more efficiently.
I have also helped other organizations based on volunteers. The difference is that those organizations are much more focused on specific ideas – people who gather to make „safe cycling in the city“, people who gather to „collect trash“. The main goal, the things you do and the outcome are more linear.
Out of what you do, what would you say best qualifies for being something that actually requires high IQ?
High IQ helps you understand things faster. IQ is related to logical-mathematical thinking. That is VERY useful in science and engineering, so I would say high IQ can actually help me understand what I teach and how to improve from a methodological point of view. I didn’t know that some of the strategies I use actually have names and other people have used them methodologically. 😆
I am not the type of teacher that shows a demonstration and then reads problems for students to solve. I help them through questions to reach to the demonstration, under my guide, of course, and then I help them to create harder and harder problems every time, based on their ideas and „real life“ equipment.
You do need either „lots of experience“ in the topic or to be fast/smart enough to actually know beforehand if they are not moving towards an useless problem. And you need to be clever to identify what to ask for students to get the conclusion you are expecting from each exercise.
I think that when doing science you need to be much more strict on methodology, it is a very diligent work. But high IQ helps people find different perspectives, I think. It is not a rule, but it helps certainly.
I think I would not be that good teacher if I couldn’t solve on my mind as fast.
So it actually help you to teach even things you don’t know yet, like coaching researchers rather than just replicating knowledge?
You know the limits of certain methods while solving problems. The adventure comes when you give freedom to your students to think of different variables. They may come with things you haven’t tried to solve yourself and then you have a problem, being smart helps! When you help people to do research is ok if no one knows what the outcome will be. That is exactly the point of doing science. 🙂 Being smart may help to identify different possibilities to test within science.
If someone really smart, but yet too young to have enough experience, is dreaming of helping the humanity in some great way, what would you suggest them to do as their first step?
I think first step is to identify your own profile, and find things you can work with for long periods of time that make you happy.
I have always been much more of an introvert. When I thought it was a „great idea“ to start Mensa Mexico, I didn’t have social skills or leadership skills. I just had lots of good intentions. Volunteers that would show up would not always comply and I ended up doing „their responsibilities“ often, to get the project moving.
If your profile is actually extroverted or leadership inclined, moving people may be a great experience for you. If you are not, it may be quite hard and frustrating. There are SO MANY WAYS of doing things that can actually help others.
Maybe the first idea you come with is not the one that you will actually enjoy the most. It doesn’t mean you should not try it. But it may mean you should not think that is „the only/best“ thing you can try. If you find something you can enjoy even when people disappoint you or when things don’t come up as you expected, you are on a good track.
Jumping to do something with lots of energy is as important as being able to enjoy it in the long term and if you find your profile doesn’t match what you so dearly want to do, I guess the second step would be to find opportunities to develop and practice those skills. Abilities can be trained, knowledge can be learned.
I have to tell you that before doing science videos for YouTube I did try to help others build their channels. I didn’t want to talk in front of the camera. But after failed attempts to help others, I didn’t have a choice but to do it myself. During my first videos, I felt SOOO nervous just talking to my camera… all by myself at home… but you do it and eventually you become „less bad“ on it. 😆
Great advice and summary! Thanks for taking time to answer all my questions. It was great to chat with you!
Thank YOU for considering to write articles on this topic. 🙂 It was my pleasure.
Links to Cinthia’s websites and YouTube channels:
cinthiareyes.com
www.youtube.com/cinthiareyes
www.youtube.com/elauladecinthiareyes
www.roboticaguadalajara.com
www.youtube.com/RoboticaguadalajaraRobokab