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
Write a review article about your immune cell of choice and how it behaves during infection or against cancer.
Choose an important immune cell of choice such as a Natural Killer cell, T cell, B cell or dendritic cell. Together we will describe the journey this cell takes on its infection or tumor fighting mission. We will use other review and primary research articles to understand this process. We will then write an article outlining this process which will include graphics we can create using a free software that allows the generation of powerful and detailed biological processes.
Biotech, Cancer
Implantable biosensors and their contribution to the future of precision medicine
My expertise lies in the realm of bioengineering, with a specific focus on biosensors. Together, we can delve into the fascinating intersection of technology and biology, exploring topics such as signal processing, algorithm development, and the application of biosensors in understanding physiological processes. Throughout our collaboration, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of biosensor technology, honing skills in digital signal processing, algorithm design, and the analysis of physiological data. Additionally, you'll develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills as we navigate the complexities of biosensor applications. Our journey begins with a solid foundation in the theoretical aspects of biosensors, where we'll explore key concepts and existing technologies. We'll then transition to a more hands-on experience, engaging in research review to learn about practical experiments and simulations that gather real-world data. The process involves a blend of literature reviews, and learning about different experimental designs, creating a holistic approach to information gathering. The culmination of our collaboration could manifest in various impactful outcomes. This might include the development of a novel biosensor algorithm, a research paper elucidating the findings of current experiments, or the creation of a prototype design showcasing the practical application of biosensors in a specific context. The potential outcomes are diverse, ranging from scientific research papers to tangible prototypes or digital solutions. Project Ideas: Smart Health Monitoring System: Develop a biosensor-based system for real-time health monitoring, integrating data analysis and visualization. Environmental Biosensors: Explore the application of biosensors in environmental monitoring, creating a project that assesses air or water quality. Algorithm Optimization: Focus on refining existing biosensor algorithms or designing a new one to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of data analysis. Biosensor Integration in Wearables: Investigate the incorporation of biosensors into wearable devices, potentially leading to the creation of a prototype. Biomedical Research Paper: Undertake a comprehensive literature review and experimental research to produce a scientific research paper on a specific aspect of biosensor technology.
Biotech, Biology, Engineering
3D Organ Engineering
Tissue Engineering. Regenerative Medicine. Stem Cells. Organ Transplants. In this exercise, we will explore the principles of engineering tissues and organs from the bottom up. Students will learn the nuances of building a tissue of their choice using the latest bioengineering techniques that are currently available. At the end of the exercise, students will be able to (i) understand the underlying biological and engineering principles of 3D Organ Engineering, (ii) create a tangible project that attempts to tackle a current limitation in 3D Organ Engineering, and (iii) create a short presentation and written proposal on said project.
Biotech
Coffee Plant Growth Conditions and Taste Profiles
Coffee beans grown in different regions of the world have distinct taste profiles. There are many factors that likely contribute to these differences such as the genetics of the plants grown, soil conditions, and weather patterns of the region. Through comparing these factors, and inferring possible biochemical differences, we can then link variations in coffee taste to specific plant growth conditions. To demonstrate the results of the project we can build a digital tool that would allow users to "design" a coffee farm given their own taste preferences.
Biotech
Website Building (for a Business or Other Purposes)
I will help guide you on how to build your own website via Wix or a free online website builder. At the end of our sessions, you will have a landing page for your project.
Biotech, Music, Business
Protein expression and purification
This project is developed to provide students with an overview of protein structure, expression and different techniques that can be employed to purify a protein of interest. After a broad survey of various proteins involved in key cellular processes, the student is assisted in identifying one particular protein to pursue for research. Each session involves an introductory lesson on the basic concepts of online available bioinformatic tools and laboratory techniques that are commonly employed in proteomics research. Students will get familiarized with laboratory-based techniques for protein expression, purification by FPLC and identification by MS, NMR etc. There will be discussion on previous session's assigned readings of recommended journal articles and book chapters along with student's own discoveries on the research topic. Assignments will contain designing short experimental tasks, guided problem solving, training exercises for developing reading comprehension skills on scientific literature, research proposal drafts etc. The output from this project is a form of external communication on the student's research topic. This may include publication of a research article in a relevant science journal, a research presentation poster for a science fair, etc.
Biotech, Cancer
It's all about the presentation...
The ability to understand, interpret, and relay complex biology and experimental data to a target audience is invaluable. You will pick a scientific topic or research paper of interest and learn how to put together an effective seminar-style presentation. This project will provide you with the tools, skills, and confidence necessary to give an informative (and memorable!) scientific presentation.
Biotech, Cancer
Changes in the microbial community of seawater brines
As seawater evaporates, it precipitates out salts such as halite (NaCl) which can be favorable for specialized microbes such as halophilic (salt-loving) archaea and fungi. However, as brines concentrate with continual evaporation they become hostile for life, and eventually sterile. As the brine concentrates becoming more extreme, what microbes can survive in these environments? This project would explore the changing microbial community in brine environments.
Biotech, Environmental Science
Protein Folding:
For this project, you will learn about the biology and physics involved in the process of protein folding. You will learn about biophysical methods for investigating protein folding and protein structure as well as computational models for modeling protein folding. You will write an in-depth review paper on a biophysical technique or theoretical model of your choosing. Some exposure to mathematics, physics, and molecular biology will be helpful.
Biotech, AI/ML
Machine learning based genomic and pathology image analysis on the Cancer Genome Atlas
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a wealth of open source data including patient health records, genomic sequencing and histology slides. Focusing on a rare cancer would be ideal for this project as they tend to be understudied and even analyses utilizing small datasets could lead to interesting discoveries. Utilizing machine learning techniques we can analyze this data to predict correlations between morphological histology features and mutations, patient survival based on histology or genomic data, etc. My research at the Pathology Image Analysis lab at the Brigham Women’s Hospital is focused on creating and applying deep learning methods to pathology image analysis. There are multiple open sources tools developed by the lab such as CLAM that could be utilized for this project. Website for TCGA: https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/ Website for CLAM: https://github.com/mahmoodlab/CLAM
Biotech
Understanding how and why coral reefs have degraded over time
Research that will provide the audience with a more complete idea of specific reasoning behind coral reef's decline (giving more detail than just climate change) and describing what happens when corals die biologically and ecologically
Biotech, Environmental Science
Evolution of Precision Medicine
The history of medicine shows how societies have changed in their approach to illness and disease from ancient times to the present. Modern medicine has moved from "traditional medicine", where therapies are used uniformly for all patients, to much more personalized approaches of treating diseases called precision medicine. In this project, you will learn about how some of the most innovative, cutting-edge science in modern medicine is changing how we as a society are treating diseases. From harnessing the power of the epigenome, to using a patient's own immune system to treat cancer, and to even replacing a missing gene to cure a genetic disease, precision medicine will undoubtedly have a place in the future of medicine. Once you learn more about these innovative topics, you will then dive deeper into understanding which key players are leveraging this cutting edge science and translating them into actual therapeutics that will hopefully one day help so many people. The project will culminate in a research/review paper that not only analyzes the trends in precision medicine but outlines the future potential of this innovative and exciting area of study.
Biotech, Public Health
History of statistics and mathematics:
Each concept in STEM subjects is rich with their very own history. Pick a STEM topic you are interested in (e.g. sampling techniques, or a certain machine learning method you've heard of), and do research into how it came about and what it has developed into now. Extra brownie points if you can identify ways to improve it! Write up your findings into a blog post and share it with the community.
Biotech, AI/ML, Statistics
Communicate causes of drug resistance in tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, or another infectious disease
A major challenge in the treatment of infectious diseases like tuberculosis or HIV/AIDS is when the pathogen becomes resistant to the drug(s) used to treat it. In order to fight back, it is helpful to know how the pathogen accomplishes that, but our understanding is usually incomplete. Choose an infectious disease that you find fascinating and survey the scientific literature for what is known about when the pathogen becomes drug-resistant. Communicate your findings by either: -Making a podcast -Writing a literature review article You will learn: -How to find and read scientific literature on a topic of interest -The current state of knowledge on drug resistance for your chosen infectious pathogen -How to summarize the current state of scientific knowledge using the medium of a podcast or of an academic literature review article
Biotech, Chemistry
Protein Modification and Engineering
Students will work towards identifying a pair of proteins/enzymes that have different functions but might work together in the body. Through truncation and grafting the two domains together, we can create a chimeric protein/enzyme that has two functions that might work together to better solve a task. In this project, students will get hands-on training with genetic manipulation, protein expression, enzymatic assaying, quantification and analytical skills pertaining to biochemistry and bioengineering.
Biotech, Biology
TED Talk
One of the most difficult aspects of science communication is summarizing years of work in a few concise and clear sentences. After extensively researching a science topic of interest, you will prepare a TED talk style presentation (2 minutes). Not only will this enable you to become an expert in a research field, but it will allow you to effectively communicate what you learned.
Biotech, Cancer, Neuroscience
Predicting the course of human evolution in the future
One of the cornerstones of the theory of natural selection is how variation in a population allows for individuals with selective advantages to survive and reproduce over time, in response to specific selective pressures. Given that humans have quickly monopolized the resources on earth and pretty much nulled most selective pressures, would speciation slow down? While humans have individual variation like all other populations, what selective advantages is natural selection currently operating on for us? In this project - with the end outcome as a scientific paper or a podcast, students will bring a working knowledge of natural selection/ evolution, along with the ability to interpret quantitative/ qualitative data to first generate a list of potential selective pressures and predict selective advantages that can help survive these pressures. We will then make an informed, evidence-based prediction of how the human species is expected to evolve in the next 1000 years.
Biotech
The potential of personalized medicine: outlook and challenges
From fit bits and apple watches tracking your heart rate to diabetes management devices monitoring glucose-levels, the potential of precision/personalized healthcare has already started to be integrated into our society. What does the future hold? As part of this project, you would look into emerging technologies in this area such as using AI to early dementia detection or using genome analysis to allow doctors to treat cancer more effectively. Throughout my PhD and now as a research fellow at Harvard, I work on developing new diagnostic techniques. Because of this, I can help by guiding you to the right resources. I've been involved with the Cambridge University Precision Healthcare Initiative UK which was what first introduced me to the area. You will learn about this field and how to critically think about the challenges that come with the advent of new technologies! The potential outcome is a scientific research paper.
Biotech, Physics, Engineering
Make a publication-quality infographic!
Science and art go hand in hand! Indeed, when scientists want to communicate their results to the public, they often choose to use infographics; or, illustrations that convey high-quality scientific information. In this project, you will learn to create your own infographics. You will first ask a scientific question, such as "what types of microbes live at the bottom of the ocean?". Then, you'll read between 6 and 10 research articles about that question, summarizing your findings. Next, you will design an illustration that conveys your findings to an audience of your choice; for example, visitors to a museum exhibit, readers of a scientific magazine, or even visitors to your blog page. You'll use graphic design techniques to create a high quality image that accurately conveys a scientific message to the public. In this project, you'll gain proficiency in reading academic papers, summarizing scientific findings, and communicating those findings to a public audience. You'll think about how to best engage the general public and get them interested in scientific ideas that you think are cool. You'll also get to flex your graphic design muscles and use art programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva, or Procreate to design a cool piece of science art. If you love science, but are also inclined towards drawing, painting, or graphic design, this would be a great project for you!
Biotech
Cell Mechanics:
For this project, you will learn about the biophysical techniques used for investigating the mechanical properties of cells, as well as some of the theoretical models used to understand them. You will write an in-depth review paper on a biophysical technique or theoretical model of your choosing. Some exposure to mathematics, physics, and cell biology will be helpful.
Biotech, AI/ML