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
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
The Role of the Achilles Tendon in Basketball Players
A project like this one can take numerous forms: from analyzing data of Achilles tendon ruptures and how athletes recover after treatment, to trying to assess the relationship between Achilles length and basketball statistics like stride length, one-leg and two-leg vertical, etc. In the latter, we can study the anatomy of the Achilles tendon, the muscles that form it, and its role/function in various movements of the foot and as a supportive structure to other joints in the leg. A student and I can then explore the nature of Achilles tendinopathy (or injury to the Achilles tendon), Achilles tears, what Achilles surgery consists of and what the goals are (focusing on the integrity of the tendon and biomechanics of the repair), and then investigate how athletes perform (those who have injured/torn their Achilles tendons versus those that have not) and develop a very basic recommendation for how to, initially, prevent Achilles injuries and then, if the injury occurs, prognoses following an injury/treatment.
Surgery, Sports Analytics
How can the coffee shop business model better solve customer problems?
The coffee shop is a historic and successful business model that has been replicated around the world. It is also the basis for continuous and ongoing innovation (e.g., the nature of the space, the product offerings, the method of product delivery). This project seeks to develop a new business model that innovates one or more aspects of the coffee shop business model to expand the target customer demographic, to provide a better solution to customers' problems, or both. This project makes use of the lean startup method, a science-based business development method that includes the iterative development of a business model canvas and data collection via customer discovery interviews.
Surgery
Novel method for cancer treatment - ablation therapy
Alternative methods other than surgery to obtain local control for malignant diseases has been on the rise due to the minimally invasive nature and less complications. One way to obtain this is called ablation therapy which can use heat or electric field energy to treat cancer cells. In addition, ablations have shown to have an immune response that is favorable for cancer cell destruction. This project involves researching the immune benefits of ablation therapy and how it is applicable for cancer treatment.
Biology, Cancer, Surgery, Physics
A new era of medicine--telemedicine: a systematic review and meta-analysis
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an explosion of the use of telemedicine. Patients, physicians, and medical institutions have learned and invested into telemedicine. It is still unknown what patient attitudes may be towards long-term telemedicine use. There are some advantages of telemedicine, such as being more convenient, but also disadvantages, like not having human-to-human contact. This paper can be a systematic review and meta-analysis, which means that students would read through and extract data from existing publications, and "combine" the data from many studies to end up with new data that explains all the included studies. Students will end up with a scientific research paper that can be published to journals and presented at various local and national conferences. They will learn skills of literature review, research study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript review, and, if applicable, journal submission process. They will also learn skills specific to systematic review and meta-analysis, including using statistical data analysis software.
Cancer, Surgery, Public Health, Medicine
Inspiring Historical Women in Surgery
Have you ever heard of the first female surgeon? Well neither had I. Let's find some incredible female doctors or surgeons throughout history, who influenced who we are today!
Surgery, Medicine
Pharmacogenomics 101
Doctors prescribe drugs to treat a variety of health conditions. However, people can vary in how well they respond to the drug, and whether they experience adverse side effects from taking it. In some cases, this is due to genetic variation - i.e., differences in individuals' DNA sequence - and this is called Pharmacogenomics. In this project, you will use the database PharmGKB to identify genetic variants that impact response to commonly prescribed drugs, and evaluate how they impact the drug's biological actions at the molecular level. Through examining biochemical pathways involved in the drug's metabolism, you will gain a deeper understanding of the field of pharmacogenomics, and how genetic knowledge can help inform medical care.
Biology, Surgery, History, Literature, Languages
Writing a Review article
I work with each student to develop a research question of their interest into a systematic review article. I have specific experience in anesthesia clinical practice but can guide students with a diverse range of topics within clinical medicine. Students will learn broadly applicable skills in how to critically assess primary literature, how to systematically search for literature, and how to present what they find in an articulate and succinct form.
Neuroscience, Surgery, Chemistry
Review of dog-breed associated diseases
Although all dog breeds fall under the same species, breed associated diseases is an emerging field. Are there identified genes for these specific disease? Do newer mixed breeds still get these diseases? Students can read current literature and create a review paper on a wide variety of diseases or focus on a specific breed.
Surgery, Medicine
Research article/Topic review
In this project, you will write a research/topic review that you will choose. The topics can vary from side effect of a medication, or a specific disease. We will find publications of the studies that were already done, taking conclusions and do our own review.
Biology, Neuroscience, Surgery, Chemistry
How does muscle length and force relate to different arm movements?
A challenge of understanding human biomechanics and motion is that the bones and muscles of the body are not readily visible. Special imaging such as MRI or CT scanning is required to quantify the precise positions and orientations of these internal tissues. However, the positions and orientations of muscles and bones in the human body can be approximated by manipulating digital musculoskeletal models using standardized images or videos as references. This project seeks to quantify how muscle length and potential force changes with different poses of the human arm. The project makes use of freely available digital models of the human skeleton and the open source digital manipulation software Blender. For reference images or video, students can capture images of their own arm motions using a phone or camera.
Surgery
Call to action - Improving access to Interpreters in the Surgery Department
Is there something in our society you feel needs to be improved, or something you can do better? This is how a lot of research ideas are born. Some of my family members do not speak English and as a medical student I noticed that they were not getting great medical care. This is how I started my quality improvement project on improving access to Interpreter Services in the surgery department. Based on your research interest, we can tackle a project together to work towards a creative final product, like a blog post, infographic, creative writing essay, or even an interpretive dance. Based on your research interests, you can build skills like data collection with surveys or interviews, reading the literature on the topic, etc. We'll work together to find a creative way to present and show off your work!
Neuroscience, Surgery, Healthcare
Public Health Problem-Solver
In this project you will choose an area of need in public health that interests you, and start a partnership with an organization to create a better solution for a problem they have. For example, working with Project Homeless Connect in SF to reliably and routinely package and distribute basic essentials to houseless community members.
Biology, Cancer, Surgery, Public Health
How does socioeconomic status affect appendix surgery outcomes?
We are beginning to understand that socioeconomic status (SES) can affect many parts of a person's health. It would be interesting to see how SES affects a specific surgical procedure, such as appendix surgery. The data for this project can be collected in a variety of ways, such as from existing, published data. The student would read through and extract data from existing publications, and use that data to synthesize their paper. This paper could take a more qualitative approach, summarizing the current literature and pointing out interesting findings in existing research, or take a more quantitative approach by analyzing complications of appendix surgery by zip code (to correlate SES). Students will end up with a scientific research paper that can be published to journals and presented at various local and national conferences. They will learn skills of literature review, research study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript review, and, if applicable, journal submission process.
Cancer, Surgery, Public Health, Medicine
Immune Cells During Pregnancy
This project will review the changes in immune cell populations and cell signaling that occur during pregnancy. Pregnancy requires a delicate balance between turning down parts of the maternal immune system to allow fetal development while also ramping up other parts to protect mother and baby from infection and disease during pregnancy. This project will explore the immunologic pathways and how imbalances have been linked to negative health outcomes.
Biology, Neuroscience, Surgery, Healthcare, Public Health
Methods to identify the region of brain stroke using different methods of MRI
Various different methods and image acquisition protocols exist for imaging the brain through MRI. This can serve as a crucial way to identify ischemia, blockage of blood flow, in the brain and causing stroke. This project involves researching multiple different types of MRI which can help aid in detecting the specific region of stroke in the brain.
Biology, Cancer, Surgery, Physics
Host on Health Disparities
In this project you will explore an area of health disparity -- whether that be in socioeconomic class, race, sex, or another population -- and then review sources that allow you to formulate an evidence-based opinion. Your project will include that opinion and possible solutions, to be featured online in print or via podcast!
Biology, Cancer, Surgery, Public Health
Social Media, Medical Misinformation, and Covid-19
Social media has positive and negative aspects in our culture today. It also has a large influence on how we consume medical communication. I want to look at how social media is affecting medical misinformation in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Surgery, Medicine
Anxiety and Depression in High School
I have done previous work on anxiety and depression in graduate and medical students, but I am interested in how early this starts. I want to look into if there are trends we are able to pick up on now, and if there are ways to help change and better these trends.
Surgery, Medicine
Synergistic Pain Management for Postoperative Pain
This project will include a brief overview of current postoperative pain management guidelines, the neurobiology of opioid pain relief, and the burden of opioid addiction faced by patients undergoing surgery. The bulk of the project consists of a thorough literature review of pain relief pathways in the brain and research exploring synergistic ways of relieving postoperative pain via neurobiology (such as complimentary receptor stimulation) that may decrease the narcotic requirement for adequate pain relief of postsurgical patients in the future. The literature review will then conclude in information synthesis and a scientific manuscript summarizing the current state of research on pain pathways. The findings are relevant to important topics in addressing the opioid epidemic.
Biology, Neuroscience, Surgery, Healthcare, Public Health