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
Financial Modeling for a Renewable Energy Project
In this project, you will learn some of the basic concepts and tools behind the finance of solar and wind energy projects (in a United States context). Students can exercise creativity in dreaming up a project and working through the details of financing.
Environmental Science
Community-based research for social justice
Do you love to write about social justice? I am an experienced and well trained community psychologist. What this means is that I incorporate values of equity, social justice and diversity into several components of my research plans. We can work together to develop a research plan that embeds values of community-based participatory research to create a project that focuses on collecting community voice and perspectives, while also holding rigor in the field of social science. Projects can focus on diverse topics ranging from public health, clinical psychology, health care interventions, or anthropology. Products from this project can include Research Plans Interview protocols Survey Development Dissemination products (how you share what you've done) White papers or blogs to encourage out of box thinking
Social, Psychology, Statistics
Review of how drugs of abuse impact the brain
A review paper integrating current research on how different drugs of abuse impact the brain. You could think about this from a behavioral perspective (how does cocaine vs marijuana make a person act), from a psychological perspective (how does cocaine change the mental abilities of a person vs how marijuana changes mental abilities), or a biological perspective (what chemicals does cocaine change in the brain vs what chemicals does marijuana change).
Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Psychology
Improving the Utility of Telehealth for Doctor's Visits
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed telehealth to the forefront of the treatment paradigm, however, many doctors are reluctant to use it because diagnoses obtained remotely are usually inaccurate, requiring patients to come for an in-person visit and delaying treatment. In this project, you will propose and develop a solution to improve the accuracy of diagnoses obtained via telehealth for a specific medical application of your choice.
Biotech
Applying machine learning to interpret the Raman spectra of mixtures
Raman spectroscopy is an emerging, non-destructive analytical technique useful in-line bioprocess monitoring. A major barrier to its widespread deployment is the challenge interpreting the spectra of mixtures. Advanced computer vision algorithms have shown considerable promise in improving the interpretation of these mixture spectra, yet advances in this area are limited due to the lack of freely available Raman mixture datasets. Software can be used to generate synthetic Raman spectra, allowing for the creation of large datasets needed to assess the performance of computer vision algorithms. There is limited research in this area and it would be an exciting, inexpensive project to explore spectroscopy, machine learning, software development and biopharmaceutical production.
Biology, Chemistry, AI/ML
The In's and Out's of Literary Analysis
If there's a book or an author you've always wanted to read but never had a chance to study at school, you've come to the right person. I've mentored students on projects where we design a literature course specific to their interests -- some students prefer to do their entire project on one text, others prefer choosing an author and studying a wide sampling of their works. For example, we can do a project on novels written by George Orwell, where we read his works chronologically, think about the evolution of his narrative style and literary themes, and ultimately produce a piece of analytical writing. In this project, you will learn how to both read and write thoughtfully, critically and analytically. This project can culminate in a conference paper, a journal article or an oral presentation, and we can also work on submitting it to journals and conference CfP's.
Creative Writing
Differential roles of molecular isoforms
Many protein and RNA molecules function as differentially structured or spliced isoforms with high sequence identity but unique functions. In this project, students will identify a molecule(s) of interest with isoform variance and examine the structural and functional differences of the isoforms to learn more about how structural changes contribute alterations in molecule function.
Biology
What's in my water?
Most water contains heavy metal ions such as copper, iron, and zinc. Not all metal ions are bad but at high concentrations they can be unsafe. In this project you could collect water samples within your community and measure the metal ion levels such as ferric and ferrous water. In this project you might learn more analytical chemistry techniques and explore a question relevant to public health. At the end of this project you should be able to put together a written report in the style of a scientific article or a scientific poster.
Biology, Computer Science, Chemistry, Public Health
Healthcare startup business plan and pitch deck
The student will formulate an idea for a startup company based in healthcare or biotechnology and will create a "game plan" for pitching the company to potential stakeholders and investors. The project could serve as the basis for submission to a startup pitch competition.
Biotech
Stock Portfolio Project
In this project, my Mentees will be given a Hypothetical million dollars and will be asked to chose between 5 to 10 fortune 500 companies to invest in. Throughout the course of our ten sessions we will be monitoring and tracking the increases and decreases in the stock using NASDAQ and track the progress in an excel file. At the end, I will ask that a research paper be formulated using the findings explaining which companies are best/worst to invest in for a short period of time when both comparisons are made and historical data is taken into consideration. The end goal is to ensure that my mentees understand the value of doing research about investments before putting money into them. Also, this will help to make sure that the message of how volatile the market can be is clearly communicated.
Business, Finance
Conduct a Qualitative Study
While quantitative studies provide important information about population level differences, qualitative studies allow us to understand psychological processes with more detail and specificity. Qualitative studies use methods such as interviews, observation, and focus groups to collect data, and can be a rewarding way to examine processes of interest.
Philosophy, Psychology, Creative Writing
Write a detailed research proposal for your dream project
The topic could be anything and the proposal will be very impressive when you are applying for jobs or schools in the future. Writing a good research proposal is crucial in academia so it's never too late to start trying. Also, the process will motivate you to become an expert on the topic and help you become a more concise writer. Prerequisite: None.
Chemistry, AI/ML
Good vs Evil: Are there 'good' and 'bad' actors in the human microbiome?
Many studies of the human microbiome attempt to identify a handful of microbial strains/species that are responsible for a certain phenotype or observed trait. These species are then highlighted as being good guys, important for a healthy microbiome, or bad guys, that are key contributors to a dysbiotic or unhealthy microbiome. However, in a system as complex as most human associated microbiomes, reality is rarely this simple. There are multiple organisms that are claimed to be important in promoting a healthy state in one article and then found to contribute to a disease or unhealthy state in another. A review of the evidence of the good and bad actors of the microbiome, and the context dependence of these findings, would be useful for researchers and a solid introduction to the topic for someone new to the field. Individual projects could be limited in scope to specific diseases or habitats/ecosystems of interest to the student.
Biology
Small Off-Grid Battery Bank
How can you build a small off-grid battery bank for your next camping trip? This project would involve investigating battery supplies, management tools, and potentially a small solar bank? Size and build your own small power bank!
Engineering
How to conduct a research study
This is my area of expertise! Whatever your interests may be, I can help you learn how to design the ideal experiment to test your ideas. You'll learn about the scientific process, read past research on your topic, and ultimately design your own study. This is an excellent way to learn how good research is conducted, and to learn more about your specific interests.
Neuroscience
How Do Face Masks Impair The Way Humans Read Emotions
COVID-19 has spread across the world, changing our way of life and forcing us to wear face masks. Early research indicates that face masks influence the human ability to infer emotions by observing facial configurations. This project will add to what we know about the impacts to human development and social interactions due to the prevalence of face masks. This project could be a literature review or contribute original research in the form of a) large-scale attitudinal survey, b) behavioral assessment of a particular population not well-understood (e.g. teens), c) long-term impacts and accommodation strategies.
Chemistry
Eastern Medicine in a Western World
We can survey traditional Eastern medicinal remedies like cupping, acupuncture, and herbal remedies to understand their place in Western society. We will explore topics like are traditional remedies clinically relevant, the power of the placebo, and the history of Western medicine.
Neuroscience
All About Rubber: An in-depth study of the chemical and mechanical properties of elastomers
Polymers are some of the most relevant and impactful materials for everyday life, and the basis of all polymer science lies in understanding the structure-property relationships present in these macromolecules. In this project, you will gain a better understanding of the chemical and mechanical properties of rubber, an extremely familiar yet remarkably unique polymeric material. Through either hands-on experimentation or an in-depth literature review, you will research the chemical structure of rubber in order to understand the effect of temperature and vulcanization on its mechanical behavior. By the end of the project, you will be able to explain why rubber is classified as a liquid instead of a solid, why it contracts when it's heated, and how the addition of nanofillers makes it a material suitable for car tires. You will produce a scientific research paper based on your findings and learn how to refine your analytical abilities and technical writing skills.
Physics, Engineering, Chemistry
Research a Bioethical Issue in Emerging Technologies
How should we think about new technology in medicine and biomedical research? What ethical issues arise with advancements in fields like artificial intelligence, genetics, and neuroscience? In this project, you will produce a paper in which you will identify a novel biomedical innovation that you're interested in, research relevant ethical perspectives, and support your own argument on how you think law and policy should intervene, if at all.
Ethics, Public Health
Evolving Landscape of Sports Audience and Viewership
Technology has brought on a swift change in the way fans consume sports. This project will uncover how many people consume sports (by sport) and how that has changed in recent years due to technology (and COVID). What are the business outcomes of such changes and where are the possible growth opportunities for firms / brands to invest.
Sports Analytics
