This 18-month grant to Columbia University, one of the Foundation's six film school partners, will fund a pilot project which aims to encourage science and technology storytelling through the World Wide Web. Guided by Columbia faculty, film students will experiment with the possibilities of new media by creating a 20-40 minute web series, told in three to eight minute narrative episodes (webisodes) with science and technology themes and characters that will reach new audiences. The production awards are open to Columbia students in the third to fifth year who have finished their courses, previously shot a completed film, and have exhibited innovative approaches to the challenges of web storytelling. Five teams will be awarded grants of $14,000 each to work on individual webisodes that will form part of a single web series. Students will work closely with film faculty and a science advisor, and grant funds will be paid out in stages based on adherence to a strict production schedule. Once finished, the web series will be entered into festivals and new media competitions, released on the internet, and distributed virally.