But then, making science sexy is Weber's job. Recently, American Way talked with him about the challenges of encouraging box office winners from the world of science.

Why is it important that the general public know more about the inner workings of science? Everything we do is more or less determined by science and technology. Look at the computer, the telephone, the microscope, indoor plumbing. Technology means "human made," and it defines us as human. It's us. It's not some alien thing imposed on us by a narrow cabal.

What was the response when you first started giving grants for screenplays dealing with science? That was nine years ago, before CSI, before A Beautiful Mind. So when you said you wanted screenplays about science, people looked at you like you were from Mars. We're big supporters of PBS and National Public Radio, but we wanted to go beyond that, to commercial films that can make money and be entertaining.

How do you see your role? We really have two cultures, the sciences and the arts, and there's a huge gulf between them. I see myself as a translator, comfortably moving between the two worlds. I shuttle back and forth, seeking ways to open the channels of communication and find common ground.

Is it hard to bring the two cultures together? Well, we discovered that a big university like UCLA has a great film department and science departments full of Nobel prize winners, but the two groups never met, never talked to each other. They didn't even know how to find each other on campus. So we set up a requirement that, once a year, people from science and engineering had to come talk to the film students. That got the students excited. They discovered that scientists could be pretty cool people, and there were some great stories there.