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
What happened to the largest company in the world? The Dutch East India Trading Company
Scholarly paper discussing the fall and demise of one of the largest companies in the world, the Dutch East India Trading Company. The goal of the history paper a student writes is for self fulfillment, for learning, and to submit and be published in the Concord Review. -Hypothesis led approach to writing -Originating primary and secondary sources -Translating primary and secondary sources -Academic citations -Analysis of sources
Finance, Organizational Leadership
Personal Budget
Learn to build a personal budget that incorporates living expenses, charitable giving, retirement planning, insurance, and taxes. We can focus on one or all of these aspects for a detailed study and full conceptual understanding.
Finance
Whose Democracy Is It, Anyway?
As a student and a reporter with Bloomberg News. I've spent the past four years studying elections around the world - how people vote, why they vote, and how much those votes matter. One of the most active debates in political science is whether all votes count equally when it comes to shaping public policy. Research has shown that the opinions of the rich and well-to-do are generally reflected in new laws, while those of regular citizens have almost no correlation. For this project, we'll collect data about major legislation passed over the past thirty years as well as detailed public opinion polling about the issues in question. We'll then run statistical analysis to determine which groups have the highest likelihood of getting their desired policies passed. Our final product will be a detailed dataset showing how represented each group within society is that can be turned into a publication-ready paper!
Economics, Creative Writing, Business, Finance
The power of having a long runway when investing
Investigate the different outcomes of people starting their investing journey at different ages.
Business, Finance
Research Project on Youth Vaping Epidemic
I researched data related to a Public Heath crisis of the youth vaping epidemic. This was a 25 page research project in which I received an A. I also had to make a ppt and present my findings to a group. I would love the opportunity to present my entire paper and project.
Philosophy, Ethics, Psychology, Public Health, Finance, Organizational Leadership
Examining Social Stressors Among Students
Social stressors among students, such as a lack of friends, being in different classes, interpersonal conflicts, and peer pressure, can adversely affect their mental health. Exploring the impact of these stressors and potential factors that amplify or mitigate their effects could form the basis of a research paper, slide deck, or podcast. Quantitative or qualitative data analysis could be utilized depending on the student's interest area. In addition to examining the impact of social stressors among students, there are other avenues of research that can be explored. For example, a student could delve into the coping mechanisms employed by students to deal with social stressors, and how these strategies affect their overall well-being. Another research direction could involve examining the role of social support networks in mitigating the negative effects of social stressors on students' mental health. Furthermore, exploring the long-term consequences of experiencing social stressors during the student years and its potential implications for adulthood could be another intriguing research area to explore.
Literature, Creative Writing, Business, Finance
Poverty trends
How did world poverty trends change in the last decade? Which regions improved and which did not? What are the possible explanations?
Economics, Math, Finance, Statistics
Investment Strategies for Financial Freedom or FIRE
A hands on project that will allow the student to understand and deep dive into the fundamentals of capital markets in the United States. The student will not only write a paper, but also create a strategic action plan that dictates the actions to take in order to maximize returns on capital. The following skills and concepts will be learned and applied: -Brokerage Accounts -Stock Picking -Mutual Funds and ETFs -Hedge Funds and PE Funds -Capital Gains and Taxes -Retirement Accounts and Tax Advantaged Accounts -Advanced Research (Fama French model vs. Cap M) -Income budgeting
Finance, Organizational Leadership
COVID-19 and Global Financial Crisis
It is shocking how the economic effects of COVID-19 are far outweighting the ones from the Global Financial Crisis 2007-08. How much is the difference in terms of employment? Production? Let's go to the data!
Economics, Math, Finance, Statistics
Investing in technology startups
People often talk about the latest market opportunity, new groundbreaking technologies, and bringing a great team together. If you're an investor, how do you choose between multiple exciting opportunities? Together we'll explore the kinds of discussions that happen behind closed doors, and explore a few investment opportunities ourselves!
Physics, Engineering, Math, Business, Finance
Fan Cost Index & Attendance
As COVID comes to an end, a major concern of all major professional sports league (NBA, MLB, NFL & NHL) is the return of max attendance throughout their stadiums and venues. Yet this recovery has not come as quickly as some may have hoped and that can be due to a multitude of reasons. One major variable that would be interesting to look into is the cost of attending these events as it seems these events never go down in price. Cost of attendance could be a major deterrent for fans as they need to decide where discretionary money is spent. Analyzing the cost of attending sporting events by league, team, and region could be a major insight into why attendance may be stagnant.
History, Sports Analytics, Business, Finance
Researching the ethical implications of AI
Are you passionate about artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on society? Do you want to delve deeper into the ethical considerations surrounding AI technologies? This student mentorship project offers a unique opportunity for you to research and analyze the ethical implications of AI, guided by experienced mentors. By the end of the project, you will gain valuable insights into the complex ethical landscape of AI and be equipped to navigate its challenges. Expected Outcomes: 1) Enhanced understanding of AI technology and its ethical implications. 2) Ability to critically analyze and evaluate the ethical considerations surrounding AI. 3) Increased awareness of real-world AI applications and their potential impacts on various stakeholders. 4) Improved research and analytical skills. 5) Strengthened ability to engage in ethical discussions and debates. 6) Actionable recommendations for promoting responsible AI development and usage.
Literature, Social Science, Business, Finance
Financial forecasting and efficient markets
Learn how financial assets (such as stocks and bonds) are priced, and how investors construct portfolios out of different assets and asset classes. Then use R or Python to analyze and visualize financial data, and to build rudimentary predictive models that attempt to forecast asset prices. Students can use these models to take a first pass at testing the so-called "efficient-market hypothesis," the idea that asset prices accurately reflect all public information and that attempting to consistently beat the market is a fool's errand.
Economics, Finance, Statistics
Real Estate
Location is the prime factor when establishing any commercial real estate property (industrial, retail, multi-family, office, hotel). With a shift in the economy, many rent regulations and terms of loans have changed, while underwriting on properties has improved. We will cover: -Why many loans on properties default (can’t make a payment) -How underwriting before and after the stock market crash in 2008 has changed and developed Project: The student will pick a real estate property to invest in, given the circumstances of the market, and justify their choices in a paper or presentation.
Business, Finance
1. Stock Picking.
Essential for anyone interested in business, finance, or for those who want to just understand the stock market a bit better. The class can easily be tailored to the student's existing knowledge & interest, and will cover topics including: - How the stock market works (stocks, trading, etc.) - Fundamental company analysis (how to tell if it’s a good or bad company) - Valuation techniques (is a company cheap or expensive, and why) - Risk vs returns (how to invest responsibly) At the end of the project, the student will pick 3-5 stocks to potentially invest in, and justify his/her choices in a paper or presentation.
Economics, Finance
Finance
To ensure the operations of a hotel are, and will be, running effectively, the costs and revenues of a hotel must be analyzed. We will cover, and can vary on knowledge: -Balance sheet, Income Statement and Cash Flow on how to interpret them -How a hotel can reduce its costs and increase its revenues without jeopardizing its brand standards or guest satisfaction Project: The student will come up with 3-5 ways the hotel of the choosing can maximize the revenues and improve their cash flows and present the finding.
Business, Finance
How can technology reduce the wealth gap in developing countries
With many new innovations around the world and technology propelling more access to those in developing markets, how can business help drive more equality in society?
Languages, Finance
Money in developing countries
Increasingly, the use of cash in developed countries is lagging in the past against new modern options such as credit cards and mobile applications. However, this is still not the widespread case in developing countries. How behind are they? Let's quantify that!
Economics, Math, Finance, Statistics
Mapping U.S. inequality
Household income varies dramatically between neighborhoods, cities, counties, and regions in the U.S. For this project, students will first use Census data and mapping libraries in R to visualize the spatial dimension of economic inequality. Then they can home in on whatever factors interest them most—such as differences in education or occupation—or examine several policy proposals intended to address this inequality. Students interested in political science might also want to study the relationship between local economic outcomes and voting patterns.
Economics, Finance, Statistics
1. Beginner Legal Research & Writing
In this project, you will research and draft a persuasive legal memorandum. I'll present a factual scenario and present certain perimeters to limit the scope of the scenario. This process will teach you how to develop your critical thinking skills, you'll develop your research skills, and you'll learn how to draft a memorandum. You will gain skills in writing and editing, persuasion, as well as a baseline understanding of certain legal concepts.
Business, Finance
