People chase what inspires them. The problem is that there are no heroes in science like there are in sports. Here are a couple of ways to inspire people: 1) Huge prizes like the X prize for a variety of breakthroughs (milestones in energy independence) Prizes should be 10M+ so they get a lot of media attention. Turn the scientists into media celebrities. The main benefit is that the government gets huge leverage for every dollar spent and doesnt spend any money until a milestone is reached. 2) Create competitions for students to teachers to professionals to compete in at every level similar to sports. Televise (reality tv) and make the competitions fun. Make the prizes 100K plus.

---------------------- This is happening already with entrepreneurs - a few young hotshots getting really wealthy in technology startups should generate interest in science/math/tech. But definitely have inspired a generation to start their own tech businesses.

Dancing with the stars, american idol, all the chef shows - have all increased interest in those fields/hobbies.