Does anyone have any suggestions on how to inspire a student to pursue a career in the sciences?

Infect them with a mysterious and deadly disease, and they will have to find the cure themselves to save their own life.

Lie to them. If they don't have the passion to study science they will never be able to make it in a career in science because it take a lot of work and the salary sucks. Tell them go into business or banking, their the ones that get multi-million dollars salaries and bonuses even though they drive their companies into bankruptcy then they just get bailed out by the taxpayers. You don't see that happening in the science field where more and more R&D is getting outsourced and universities and the government are cutting back on science research.