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Students in a ‘pipeline’ to scientific discovery For George Tempel, Ph.D., it’s the discovery of new information that fuels his passion for research, and for sharing that excitement with young people. “I like teaching them the fun of discovering new things, the fun and excitement of the process of science.” On Saturday, March 31, MUSC's College of Graduate Studies hosted about 25 high school and middle school students.  Some were recruited from the group Tempel taught last summer in the Governor’s School for Science and Math Summer Research Program.  They came to serve as mentors to middle schoolers getting their first taste of the fun of scientific discovery in an MUSC laboratory.  As assistant dean for outreach, Tempel has redoubled his efforts to bring science into the pre-college school classroom and young science students into the lab.  The strategy, which is designed “to turn them on to science,” he said, appears to be paying off.  This is partly the effort of College of Graduate Studies dean Perry Halushka, M.D., Ph.D., to increase applications to the school, Tempel said. “Applications for enrollment have increased more than 20 percent since Dean Halushka implemented the common first-year curriculum.”  He predicted that the outreach to middle and high school science students will increase the number “in the pipeline” who will eventually come to MUSC. By example, he cites Tariq Aziz, a first-year medical student he taught at Governor's School, and whose middle school brother participated in the March 31 event. “I want to use hands-on science and the inquiry approach to attract them to a career in research” Tempel said.