The Institute for the Development of Enlightened Arts and Sciences, Inc.

I.D.E.A.S. was founded by husband and wife, Dr. John Sorflaten and Dr. Theresa Olson. This 501(c)(3) publically supported organization was named "The Institute for the Development of Enlightened Arts and Sciences".

In 2005, I.D.E.A.S. created and conducted a weekly seminar called "Developing Your High Concept for Films." This course educated aspiring screenwriters on creating life-supporting themes. Dr. Sorflaten administers a forum on Evolutionary Cinema, "devoted to promoting movie themes of interest to people working on their evolution as well as the evolution of their culture."

I.D.E.A.S. has helped raise funds for human developmental programs using scientific approaches to consciousness in Peru and Europe, with $55,000 sent in 2006-2007 to two such programs. Hundreds students in Peru now practice the Transcendental Meditation technique in school, funded in part by I.D.E.A.S. Seven hundred Peruvian students will learn the advanced TM-Sidhi technique, according to the article "Students rise high in Peru."

Pursuant to its artistic mission, in February of 2007, I.D.E.A.S. co-planned and promoted of the "Fairfield (Iowa) Connection Film Festival," part of the monthly Fairfield Art Walk program. I.D.E.A.S. sponsored the visit of Leigh Badgley, a Canadian documentary film-maker who espouses quality-of-life topics in her award-winning documentaries.

Key Personnel at I.D.E.A.S.

	President and Director of I.D.E.A.S.: John Sorflaten, Ph.D. CPE, CUA John Sorflaten, Ph.D. spent his first three years in the U.S. Air Force as an enlisted airman. Sorflaten was selected to participate in the Air Force Officer Training and Commissioning Program, and sent to film school at the University of Southern California. As a photography officer, he made motion pictures in several duty stations for four years, including Vietnam. For two of those years, he was a unit commander for U.S. Strike Command. Sorflaten obtained the rank of Captain before his honorable discharge in 1972. In 1977, Sorflaten completed his M.A. in Education at Maharishi University of Management. He spent 3 years designing word processing systems for Asian languages. Dr. Sorflaten teaches courses leading to certification as a professional usability analyst for user-friendly web-site design under the auspices of Human Factors International (HFI), Inc. Dr. Sorflaten regularly gets "Excellent" evaluations for his work as an instructor from participants due primarily to his skill in maintaining an interactive environment through conversational instruction. While working at HFI, Sorflaten completed his Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology and Cognitive Psychology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Sorflaten's dissertation involved research on the correlation of EEG coherence during the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique with the development of logical reasoning. Currently, Dr. Sorflaten is a Project Director and Lead instructor at HFI and also serves as a member of the CAMS Advisory Board.
	Secretary/Treasurer of I.D.E.A.S: Theresa Olson, Ph.D. Theresa Olson's background includes considerable training and experience in the field of development of consciousness as well as the arts and sciences. After directing and acting in many plays, and obtaining a BA in English Literature, plus a Masters Degree in Rhetoric, Theresa worked as the public relations head for several years at the International Meditation Society, headquartered in Switzerland. She was trained as a teacher of meditation by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (as was John Sorflaten). She was the director of World Plan News Service for many years. Theresa continued her academic achievements with Ph.D. work in psychology. Dr. Olson's dissertation and subsequent publications covered the healing effects of music. Theresa taught at Maharishi University of Management for many years, creating courses in the Psychology of Media and the Psychology of Music among her other teaching and administrative duties. She and John are members of Who's Who published in Madison, Wisconsin.