2,893 Inspirational Passion Project Ideas
Turn inspirations into your passion project.
This collection of project ideas, shared by Polygence mentors, is meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
- AI/ML
- Animation
- Arts
- Biology
- Biotech
- Business
- Cancer
- Chemistry
- Cognitive
- Computer Science
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Dentistry
- Economics
- Engineering
- Entomology
- Environmental Science
- Ethics
- Fashion
- Finance
- Game Design
- Healthcare
- History
- Illustration
- Languages
- Linguistics
- Literature
- Math
- Medicine
- Music
- Neuroscience
- Nutrition
- Organizational Leadership
- Philanthropy
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Physics
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Quantitative
- Social
- Social Science
- Sports Analytics
- Statistics
- Surgery
How can we help farmers adapt to climate change?
A project focused on the policy, structural, and technological changes that could help farmers prepare for climate change. This could involve a nutrition, gender, or racial justice focus, and could focus on a specific area or type of producer. Based on your interest this project could look at fisherman, smallholder farmers, urban farms, large food producers, or sustainable aquaculture/kelp producers.
History, Languages, Environmental Science, Social Science, Nutrition
Stepping into a Scientist White Coat
Have you ever wanted to be a real-life scientist, but you don’t have your very own lab? In this project, you will design a research project that can be completed at home, gather data, and present that data as either a scientific poster or talk. You will learn about the scientific process, how to construct appropriate figures for your data, and how to communicate your results in a formal presentation.
Biology
Science Communication Blog/Page
Communicating scientific findings to the general population, in a way that is intriguing and accurate, is a feat that many scientists are working diligently to accomplish. You can contribute to this by starting a blog about any subject of choice (i.e. a neurodegenerative disease, technical advancements in the field, use of human stem cells, etc) and accurately summarizing the key findings of nominal papers in the field. Each blog page/post will be dedicated to a specific paper where you will evaluate and write about their approach, findings, as well as what information needs more clarification. This will teach how to proficiently read primary literature and communicate to a general public audience by writing summaries.
Biology, Neuroscience
History of the future
In this integrative project, we explore what (might) await us in the future. What predictions have previous authors made, and did they come true? What trends do you see? Where does it lead? Outcomes could include a chapter of a "history" book from the year 2100, an analysis of time travel movies, or a piece of art that expresses what effect these changes may have for life on Earth.
Neuroscience, Physics, Statistics
Neurotechnology design features' impact on the identity and function of reactive astrocytes
I work with these brain computer inteface devices called microelectrode arrays. They communicate with neurons in the brain and allow for tetraplegic patients to regain some level or movement once again. The problem is after a few years, these arrays stop working. The reason why is that these other specialized brain cells, called astrocytes, act like body guards towards the neurons. They see these little devices and try to cover them up to protect the neurons. The problem is after awhile, the astrocytes behavior changes and they actually end up killing neurons. My job is to figure out what makes these astrocytes harmful and if I can reverse that process.
Biology, Neuroscience
1 - 3 Album Songs
Have a concept for an album in mind but can't seem to put notes to paper? Or, do you have a couple songs but want to find a way to tie them together into a larger concept? These are all great and exciting places to be in, and I would love to help you manifest your visions!
Music, Creative Writing, Illustration
Simulation of Gravitational Lensing
Modern physics research is very computationally heavy, from running simulations to analysis of big data. A great place to start is with some basic coding of physical phenomena, either to do a calculation or a simple simulation. This project would start with learning the basics of python and then applying that to an interesting physics problem. For example we could investigate how we can observe black holes with gravitational lensing. We could then calculate what telescopes would observe in different cases.
Physics, Computer Science, Math
Medical Podcast
I have experience conducting immunology research and working with leaders in the field, as well as using Adobe Audition to record and edit podcasts. I would guide you through from conducting a literature review in a topic of your choice to interviewing medical professionals to assembling your findings into a podcast episode.
Biology, Physics, Engineering, Math
Write, Direct, Produce, and Edit a No-Budget Film
A no-budget film is exactly what its name suggests: a project that is created on a very small or even non-existent budget. Did you know that The Blair Witch Project and Night of the Living Dead are both no-budget movies? In order to create and produce a short film or tv show pilot episode on no budget, thinking outside the box is imperative: you may have to learn skills like the basics of screenwriting or filmmaking, or you may want to get your friends on board to help with the project. No matter how you decide to produce your audiovisual piece, this project would be the perfect challenge for you if you are an individual with a story that you think belongs on the big (or small) screen!
Philosophy, Literature, Languages
Disability and the Dead
During their years performing, and even after Jerry Garcia's death and the band's subsequent iterations, The Grateful Dead forged a radically-inclusive community amongst their fans. Dead concerts became gathering places not only for members of the counter-culture that emerged in the Haight in the late-1960s San Francisco, but also a place where recovering alcoholics, tapers, dancers, and conservatives all found a sense of community and connection. One notable group that became a frequent subsection of Dead shows in the 1980s were deaf individuals who gained the moniker, "Deafheads." While this group — individuals without the ability to hear who would presumably not find audio-centric concerts of interest — seems an unlikely set of people to forge community around the Dead, their existence highlights the compelling intersection between the Grateful Dead, their fanbase, and people with disabilities. This project proposes to explore how the Dead (understood broadly to encompass the band *and* their fans) fostered a space for fans with disabilities. The project has a number of potential avenues: How did their embrace of psychedelics and other mind-altering drugs create openness to neuro-diversity? How did the emergence of the independent living and disability rights movement in San Francisco in the late 1960s intersect with and draw influence from (or influence) the counter-culture around the Grateful Dead? How did the spaces of Grateful Dead concerts create impromptu venues of accessibility and transformed notions of what defined one as "able"?
History
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth: A Comprehensive Study on Human Lives
Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected various aspects of human lives, especially the youth population. Understanding the consequences of the pandemic on mental health, education, social relationships, and economic prospects among young individuals is crucial for developing targeted interventions and support systems. Research Objectives: Assessing Mental and Emotional Well-being: Conduct surveys and interviews to evaluate the psychological effects of the pandemic on youth, including anxiety, depression, and coping mechanisms. Identify factors contributing to mental health resilience and well-being among young individuals. Academic and Educational Disruptions: Analyze the impact of school closures and remote learning on the educational development of youth. Investigate disparities in access to online education resources and the effectiveness of remote learning methods. Social and Peer Relationships: Explore changes in social interactions and peer relationships among youth due to physical distancing measures. Examine the role of digital platforms in maintaining social connections and its impact on mental health. Economic Challenges and Employment Prospects: Study the economic hardships faced by youth, including job losses, financial instability, and career aspirations. Assess the long-term effects of these economic challenges on youth employment opportunities and financial planning. Methodology: Surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions with youth participants. Longitudinal studies to track changes in mental health, educational progress, and social relationships over different phases of the pandemic. Collaboration with mental health professionals and educators for data analysis and interpretation. Socioeconomic surveys to understand the economic impact on youth and their families. Expected Outcomes: In-depth insights into the mental, educational, and economic challenges faced by youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Identification of resilience factors and support systems crucial for youth well-being. Policy recommendations and intervention strategies to address the identified issues and enhance youth resilience in the face of future challenges.
Public Health
UX/ Human-Computer Interaction project
This can be done as a desing project. Some topics might be sustainability, education. We can discuss
Psychology, Languages, Social Science
Open-Source Brainwave Data Analysis
The mentee will be guided in executing an entry-level data analysis on a freely-available, open-source dataset of brainwave (EEG) activity. The first half of this project will allow the mentee to familiarize themselves with the online tools by learning through tutorials if necessary, and then applying relevant analytical approaches to a chosen dataset. The second half of this project will consist of the mentee documenting their project, summarizing their scientific observations and results, and generating meaningful figures that visualize the data.
Neuroscience, Psychology, Computer Science, AI/ML
Documenting past society through a single object
For this project, the student would visit a local museum and choose one object that is on display (e.g. a tool, art piece). Beginning with the museum archives, the student will document basic facts on the object: date, location of origin, description of object (size, color, shape, basic function), and how the object came to the museum. Using the local library and online sources, the student would carry out a deeper history on the object to understand its cultural context and life history. The student will situate this object within the broader society and culture at the time of its use. As a final outcome of the project, the student will provide their new research to the museum to keep in the museum's archives or to add to the museum display. Furthermore, the student could publish their results in a school or local paper or journal. This project could also be expanded into a larger project on the site or environment of the object's origin or on other associated objects to further reconstruct the culture and society in question.
Arts, Languages, Environmental Science
Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) and CRISPR to treat cancer
Design novel biologic immunotherapies to target cancer cells by using the latest genetic tools. CAR T cells are one of the most promising novel immunotherapies. Although they have shown significant success in blood cancers, they have struggled in solid tumors. In this project you will design novel CAR constructs, with the combination of CRISPR technologies to develop new CAR T cells to overcome these hurdles.
Cancer
Movie Ratings Analysis
This project can involve the use of data visualization and descriptive statistics. The students can gather data on movie ratings from websites like IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes and use visualization tools, such as histograms, bar plots, and scatter plots, to explore the data. They can also use statistical methods, such as mean, median, and standard deviation, to describe the distribution of ratings. Through this project, students can learn about data visualization and the basics of descriptive statistics. They can also learn about how to explore and summarize data, and how to use data to answer questions about a particular topic, such as movie ratings.
Engineering, Math, Statistics
Crafting your art portfolio
Are you an artist, filmmaker or creative writer looking to build an art portfolio or website for your college application? I am happy to work with you to reflect on the work you have made and brainstorm visions for future creations. Together, we can think about the patterns and stories within your art and what inspires you as an artist and person in the world. Through various prompts and exercises, we will explore how you can write about your art and create a carefully-crafted portfolio to share this vision with others.
Arts, Literature, Creative Writing
Begin a Product Portfolio
Identify a problem in your school, home or community that you would like to solve. We will collaborate using design thinking frameworks to create a proposal for a solution. If interested, we can post your solution to a personal product portfolio page. Possible final product: PowerPoint Presentation; portfolio website page. This is especially relevant for students interested in technology and product design.
Business
Intro to Research
As a college applicant interested in science and medicine, we want you to discover passion in the sub-fields of science: from astrophysics to zoology. We also want you to discover the leaders in those fields. In this project, we start with 1-2 exploratory sessions finding which parts of science or medicine appeal to you. We then dive into PubMed and spend several sessions breaking down the latest research on the topic - taking notes along the way. We finish by compiling our findings into a writing blog piece that provides numerous leads for independent follow-up and potential mentors at colleges of interest. While apparently ideal for rising 12th graders, this project benefits those high schoolers who think they conduct research as part of their career as a scientist or a physician.
Surgery, Computer Science, Chemistry
Tackling Social Determinants of Health in Your Community
Investigate social determinants of health in your community, city, state, or nation and tackle them through policy change or strategic partnerships. In projects such as these, you are proposing evidence-based solutions to tackle the most pressing health challenges that are impacting your community. Through a case studies approach, you will follow a traditional consulting engagement/ research framework including conducting literature reviews, competitor analysis, feasibility studies, stakeholder interviews, survey development/distribution, etc..
Healthcare, Public Health, Business
