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
Analyzing the Cultural and Political Implications of COVID-19 in the Performing Arts
Indefinite change across international industries is imminent at this time of systemic and structural development, after the world was (and continues to be) rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the notable sectors that is ripe for opportunity in this time of change is the non-profit performing arts sector. Questioning what the origins of where non-profit work came from and evolved to become is one of the initial questions a student can begin to uncover. We will move into the social outward actions that performing arts organizations have taken to maintain traditions while also questioning those very traditions in the context of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students may emerge from this research and analysis with social/programatic pitches to performing arts organizations on how they may best enact development in this time. Whether this pitch is through a paper, presentation, podcast, short film/video series, etc., they will hopefully have added their thoughtful opinion into the modern conversation of an industry that remains a foundational representative of entertainment as we know it.
Music, Economics
On the origins of algorithmic injustice
This project explores how it is that injustice can arise at the algorithmic level. Algorithmic injustice occurs when algorithmic decision-making procedures systematically harm certain individuals in virtue of their social identities. For example, a recidivism algorithm might predict that a Black individual is more likely to re-offend, a prediction which in turn affects their sentencing. This project explores human bias at the level of training data as one possible source of algorithmic injustice.
Music, Philosophy, Ethics
Write and Record a Podcast
This project begins with questioning and ends with the development of technical recording skills and working with production software. While working with me, you will take your curiosities and turn them into tangible answers that can be shared with the rest of the world. Step 1: Find your curiosity Step 2: Read, wander, and research through current answers that already exist Step 3: Find specific individuals that seem like they have the answer Step 4: Talk to those individuals Step 5: Synthesize your findings in a written script with a logical flow Step 6: Organize that script into a recorded collection of your discoveries Step 7: Publish your work through a podcasting platform Through this project you will develop: 1) Recording and editing experience 2) High-level research skills 3) Critical thinking (and questioning) 4) The ability to conduct a successful interview 5) Written and verbal content synthesis 6) An understanding of podcast publishing platforms
Music, Philosophy, Arts, Social Science
Adaptive Leadership for Social and Economic Team Building
Ideas of leadership and authority in our modern society have been repeated over centuries. The evolution of these various leadership styles are often seen as tools used in business and organizations to increase and encourage efficiency, but is the idea of 'good' leadership what we actually see being practiced in the field today? In this project, students will differentiate the concepts of technical and adaptive challenges in the context of leadership. They will question the hierarchy of organizational structures, and consider how adaptive takes on leadership may cause more lasting outcomes, while working through the social struggle of core value shifting. Ideally, students will come out of this project with a report on active change that resulted from their adaptive leadership in practice.
Music, Economics
Tik Tok, Creator and Destroyer of Worlds
Tik Tok is everything right now.... so let's get critical about it! We'll consider how Tik Tok allows niche creators to build ephemeral communities, and we'll think through the promise and the pain contained within those temporary virtual spaces. We'll draw on theory from visual culture studies, media studies, and performance studies to examine how Tik Tok functions and its role in our present moment.
Music, Arts
Introduction to Machine Learning
There's hardly anything hotter in tech than machine learning and AI. Beyond the unreasonable hype, what makes machine learning so successful for some tasks and not for others? We will explore this question in the context of several key modern methods in machine learning: regression, SVMs, probabilistic models, and neural networks. Emphasis will be placed on exploring mathematical foundations of the discipline. You will get your hands dirty by implementing some of these methods yourself and testing them on real datasets. We will works towards presenting your experiments in a short conference-style paper.
Music, Math, AI/ML
A Collection of Creative Pieces
Could be a collection of poems that you'll have written by the end of the project timeline, short biographical segments paired with poems, an a capella rap "album". Emphasis on self expression.
Music, Biology, Creative Writing
Machine learning to optimize optical performance of solar cells
With the rise of large-scale materials databases such as the Materials Project and ICSD, a wealth of information is already available for many types of materials. However, these databases are often missing essential information about optical properties (such as absorption) as these calculations are expensive. One strategy is to use machine learning as a tool to speed up expensive calculations. This will allow high-throughput screening of large databases and identification of promising candidate materials for photovoltaic applications.
Music, AI/ML
Can yeast tell the difference between real and fake sugar?
Can yeast reproduce in sugar substitutes? Let's find out! We can determine the amount of yeast reproduction by measuring CO2 output and see if fake sugars stack up to the real thing. Then, we can look at the molecules that make up the sugar substitutes and learn how the body would break them down. We can even find out which artificial sweetener tastes the sweetest by testing out what concentration it takes for someone to taste the sweetness and see if the sweetness correlates to the amount of yeast reproduction. Once the experiments are complete, we can write an article for a middle/high school journal detailing your results!
Music, Neuroscience, Ethics
Queer Connections in the Novels of Thomas Mann
The renowned German author Thomas Mann had a lifelong problem--he wanted to be "the most respectable German" of his generation, but he was also mainly attracted to men. Being gay might not have been a problem (until Hitler and Nazism made it a problem, that is), but the Most Respectable German had to have a wife and a family--so Mann married and had six children (half of whom also turned out gay or bisexual). Mann wrote very explicitly about his conflicted love for men in his diaries, which he kept hidden during his lifetime but ordered to be published twenty years after his death (they are all now publicly available as a result). In nearly all of his fiction, Mann planted hidden expressions of his dangerous secret. Critics have discovered many of these, but I believe that some of the most cleverly concealed confessions in Mann's novels evade general notice to this day. I'm working on an article drawing attention to some of these moving, haunting, and sometimes troubling testaments to queer love in Mann's novels, especially his two most famous works, The Magic Mountain and Doctor Faustus. I'll need help looking through the critical literature on Thomas Mann to see if there might be discussions of these little secrets that I haven't found yet (I want to give credit where it's due!). If you can read German, so much the better--if not, that's okay, too. I'll also need help looking for arguments in queer theory, literary theory, or other fields of philosophy that might help support or deepen the claims I want to make in this article. I might even ask for help looking for clues in other works by Thomas Mann himself, including his short stories, most of which I still haven't read.
Music, Philosophy, Linguistics
The Role of Music in Revolution and Resistance
When in history have revolutions been aided by music? What human rights struggles have included music, either implicitly or explicitly? When and where has music played a role in cultivating solidarity in the midst of intense conflict?
Music, Psychology
Guiding Young Musicians with Machine Learning
Many young musicians need a little help from their teacher in managing hand placement, tone quality, rhythmic or pitch correction, or other actions on their instrument. Using your camera and/or microphone, we can explore ways to use machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify mistakes and help suggest corrections. This would be a great area of exploration for students who have experience playing a musical instrument!
Music, AI/ML
Sounding Out Data
Have you ever wondered what a set of data sounds like? For this project, blend the tools of data scraping and music production using free software to understand how hearing data can change the way we see it. This project is excellent as either a sound art piece or a publishable research paper.
Music, Arts
Where Do We Go From Here? -
From August to December 2020, the Teaching Artistry with Courtney J. Boddie podcast and Creative Generation collaborated with twenty-two inspiring Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists, educators, and community activists through the “We Can’t Go Back.” The interviews aggregated leadership strategies, educational tools, and an archive of the stories of BIPOC professionals whose work took action - inspired by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other countless victims at the hands of police - to further community understanding, counteract White Supremacy, and disassemble anti-Blackness in cultural and educational systems. This cumulative reflection highlights the many anti-racist, liberatory, and intersectional feminist practices, strategies, and fundamental shifts in arts and cultural work – both pedagogical and institutional – to reimagine a future to which the arts education field may move toward. Readers are invited to pause and reflect on the question: If we can't go back, where do we go from here?
Music, Arts
Create your own play, musical, or monologue
One of the fun things about working in the arts is it is an opportunity to get creative and express your own work! Your goal would be to put together a short piece, be it a personal monologue, a musical, or a play. You can dream big, and express yourself anyway you want! Once we get some ideas flowing, we would focus on how you tell the story, what your goals are, and how to get them across to your audience. There are no limits in this type of work. We would discover together the best way forward!
Music, Cognitive
How can machine learning leverage multiple views of the same scene, with noise and sensor failures?
Sometimes, we add additional sensors to systems to make our predictions more accurate (for example, multiple views of a driver, to estimate whether they are alert). But, sometimes these views become blocked, or sensors temporarily fail. How can we use machine learning to work around these issues in a way that allows for consistently-available predictions?
Music, AI/ML
Art is a Necessity
COVID-19 has led to a worldwide shutdown of theatres, concerts, and events. What resulted was a surge in online streaming such as Netflix and Hulu. According to USA Today, "worldwide viewing time grew 44% in the last three months of 2020, compared with the same period a year ago." Arts and entertainment play a critical role in our lives, and its accessibility is correlated to mental health. Let's investigate the intersections of art and health, and discover the ways that art can change the world.
Music, Linguistics, Cognitive
Alternative Approaches to the Management of Mental Health Disorders
There are a number of natural and/or non-pharmacologic approaches to the management of disorders like anxiety and depression, but there is a general lack of high-quality research on these topics. A well-constructed review paper could help shed light on non-drug approaches to the treatment of mental health disorders.
Psychiatry, Music, Nutrition, Public Health
The Power of Listening
Have you ever wondered how children are able to learn a new language without taking any classes? No lectures, no flashcards, no textbooks, no quizzes. We all learned how to speak by simply listening to the world around us. The more we understand about human communication, the better we can foster our relationships with each other. Let's talk about language acquisition, and design a research experiment that explores the power of listening.
Music, Linguistics, Cognitive
Why Do the Arts Matter?
Why do the arts matter? Is there a correlation between progress in the arts and progress in society? What effects do the arts have on a community? Personal growth and development? Learning? In this project, students will consider the role of the arts not only in their lives, but in their community at large. Through research, students will present an argument for the arts in the format of their choosing.
Music
