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Browse project ideas by Polygence mentors
Compare/Contrast Emotions or Behaviors Across Cultures and Visualize the Results
Is love universal? What about jealousy? Do all cultures have marriage? Do all cultures have art? Anthropologists have written thousands of first-hand accounts ("ethnographies") of the cultures they have lived or immersed themselves in. I will help you compare and contrast accounts of an emotion or behavior of your choice across cultures to help you uncover whether that emotion or behavior reflects a core feature of human nature or a culturally learned phenomenon. At the end, I will help you create a scientific poster summarizing your results and visualizing points of overlap and non-overlap.
Psychology
Design a Study of your Choice and Present the Results!
YOU get to come up with a question of interest to you and design a study of your choice. Learn all the basics of the scientific process, including formulating a question, generating a hypothesis, designing and implementing a study, and understanding the results. I will guide you throughout every step of the process and, if needed, will give you extra assistance in analyzing and interpreting your results. At the end of the project, you can create a Powerpoint presentation explaining both what you did and what you found, which you can present to me in our final session.
Psychology
How Can Physical Spaces Support Peacebuilding and Reconciliation?
Peacebuilding is often discussed in political or diplomatic terms, but physical spaces, such as memorials, shared public spaces, schools, or community centers, can also play an important role in healing, dialogue, and reconciliation after conflict. This project would explore how the design and use of physical spaces contribute to peacebuilding efforts. A student could study 1–2 examples of peacebuilding spaces (such as memorials, truth and reconciliation sites, or shared public spaces in post-conflict regions) using photographs, maps, historical context, and secondary sources. The research might examine how design elements, such as openness, symbolism, accessibility, or programming, encourage reflection, dialogue, or shared memory. Possible research questions include: How do spaces help communities process collective trauma? What design choices promote inclusion versus division? How do different cultural contexts approach peacebuilding through space? The final project could take the form of a short research paper or visual presentation that combines written analysis with images or diagrams. This project is intentionally scoped to be manageable for students new to research while introducing them to interdisciplinary thinking across design, history, and social science.
Psychology
How Do Political Systems Influence the Design of Civic Buildings?
Architecture is not neutral. Government buildings, such as city halls, courthouses, schools, or legislative buildings, often reflect the political values and power structures of the systems that created them. This project would explore how political systems influence architectural design and how buildings communicate ideas like authority, transparency, or control. A student could select 2–3 civic buildings from one country or compare buildings from different political contexts (for example, democratic vs. authoritarian systems). Using photographs, floor plans, historical sources, and secondary research, the student would analyze design elements such as scale, accessibility, materials, symbolism, and public/private boundaries. Research questions might include: How does architecture express power or legitimacy? What design choices encourage public participation or, alternatively, distance and control? How do historical or political moments shape the way civic buildings are designed? The final outcome could be a short research paper or visual presentation combining written analysis with annotated images or diagrams. This project is intentionally scoped to be achievable for a student new to research while introducing them to critical thinking about politics, space, and the built environment.
Psychology
How Does Geography Shape the Language We Use in Everyday Life?
Language is deeply connected to place. This project would explore how geography, such as neighborhoods, regions, migration patterns, or borders, influences the way people speak, the languages they use, and the meanings attached to certain words or expressions. A student could focus on one geographic area (for example, their city, a border region, or a multilingual neighborhood) and examine how language use varies across spaces. Research methods might include observing language use in public places, analyzing signage and advertisements, reviewing census or demographic data, and reading existing research on language, migration, and place. Possible questions could include: How does language change across neighborhoods? How do geography and migration influence which languages are visible or valued in public spaces? How does language signal belonging, identity, or exclusion in different places? The final project could take the form of a short research paper, map-based analysis, or visual presentation that combines written reflection with images, diagrams, or simple maps. This project is well-scoped for a student new to research and encourages them to connect everyday experiences with broader cultural and geographic patterns.
Psychology
Classification of Eye Diseases in Fundus Imaging using a Multitask Vision Transformer
Many eye diseases can manifest with different abnormalities in Fundus imaging, a type of imaging that images the rear region of the eye (the fundus). Creating an automated method of classifying these diseases from a large dataset of fungus images would benefit physicians by reducing workload and automating current clinical software. This could be achieved by curating a dataset of various fundus images representing common eye diseases, and training a multitask vision transformer to both segment regions of diseased regions of the eye, and to classify the overall image as either a healthy or diseased eye. I've worked with a few types of eye imaging, as well as CT imaging for chest, MRI, DTI, and fluoroscopy for brain. This project is an example of the type of software development that I'm familiar with: automating a component of physician workload via a deep learning model (CNN or transformer based). Undertaking this type of project would have you learning coding skills (Python programming language), how to curate, organize, and maintain a dataset of medical images, communicate results with potential users of your software, and practice writing and presenting your research findings. The end goal of this project is usually either a poster or paper publication in a scientific journal.
AI/ML, Healthcare
Understanding Markets Through Crypto: Research, Risk, and Public Explanation
This project uses cryptocurrency and digital asset markets as a case study for understanding how financial markets function. Students will examine how crypto markets are structured, how prices are formed, and how information, speculation, regulation, and technology influence market behavior. The focus is not on trading or explaining how to get rich, but on analyzing crypto as an economic system shaped by incentives, policy choices, and human behavior. Students will research topics such as market volatility, investor psychology, regulation, and the differences between traditional financial markets and decentralized systems. Alongside research, students will learn how to translate complex economic and technical ideas into clear explanations for a general audience. A key component of the project is communication. Students will develop short podcast episodes or video explainers that break down their research in an accessible, responsible way, learning how to combine evidence, storytelling, and clarity.
Economics
Global Supply Chains, Trade Policy, and the Economics of Technology
This project explores how global supply chains and international trade policies shape access to technology, energy, and essential goods. Students will examine how countries interact through trade agreements, tariffs, and industrial policy, and how these decisions influence innovation, economic growth, and inequality across regions. Using real world examples such as semiconductors, critical minerals, or clean energy technologies, students will analyze how economics, policy, and engineering constraints intersect at a global scale. Students will work with economic data, trade reports, and policy documents to understand concepts such as comparative advantage, supply chain resilience, and market concentration. The project emphasizes analytical thinking and quantitative reasoning, helping students learn how economic models and data are used to inform policy decisions in science and technology driven sectors.
Economics
Improving Drinking Water Quality in Distribution Systems
You'd use computer models of real-world water systems, and analyze what improvements can be made to improve the water quality that is delivered to its residents. You'd use an industry-standard software developed by the EPA to research how the layout of the city could be changed, or the operations of the network could be improved, to better serve the town's residents. It could end in a research paper, or a mock plan to the city council documenting your excellent recommendations!
Engineering
Outcomes of minimally invasive surgery versus open surgery in the pediatric population:
You will be able to learn and apply PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to perform a scoping review of existing literature of a topic of their choice. This will be a great opportunity to practice the art of writing a literature review or meta-analysis, which is often the basis of many great future research projects.
Creative Writing, Literature, Medicine
