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, Direct, Produce, and Edit a No-Budget Film
A no-budget film is exactly what its name suggests: a project that is created on a very small or even non-existent budget. Did you know that The Blair Witch Project and Night of the Living Dead are both no-budget movies? In order to create and produce a short film or tv show pilot episode on no budget, thinking outside the box is imperative: you may have to learn skills like the basics of screenwriting or filmmaking, or you may want to get your friends on board to help with the project. No matter how you decide to produce your audiovisual piece, this project would be the perfect challenge for you if you are an individual with a story that you think belongs on the big (or small) screen!
Philosophy, Literature, Languages
Tools of Surveillance
This project takes a deep-dive into the history of surveillance in both the US's criminal justice and immigration systems. From vetting systems used to exclude immigration since the 1800s, to biometric tools like fingerprint and facial recognition scans used at our borders today, the US government has a rich history of using surveillance technology as a means to control its populations. Questions on this topic might ask: What are the effects of surveillance (both perceived and actual) on immigrant populations? What are the possible consequences of the lack of regulation of facial recognition technology (in both the private and public sectors)? When we introduce the concept of algorithmic bias to biometric technology, what implications might this have on vulnerable populations?
Psychology, History, Literature
Create a Literature Blog
This project would be a great way to familiarize yourself with literary critique, and to push yourself to think both as a reader and as writer. By creating and running your own literary blog, you will gather and polish skills such as analytic writing, basic web design, and social media outreach and advertising. This project would also be highly customizable, as you may choose to write brief reviews or longer scholarly essays. Either way, it will allow you to craft your own online space as an emerging literary voice!
Philosophy, Literature, Languages
How the pandemic has affected the social lives of dogs
My own thesis revealed the possibility that dogs had a harder time understanding pointing gestures due to wearing masks. Owners have also talked about how their furry friends have more separation anxiety since the pandemic as they are used to their humans staying at home all day. It could be insightful to research dog behavior following the pandemic through surveys, which is an accessible way to complete this project. Understanding nuances of the pandemic's effects and dogs' understanding of human social cues can allow us to understand their sensitivities, trainability, and ability to emotionally support others.
Neuroscience, Psychology, Literature
Podcast: Neurodiversity and Culture
You will develop a podcast centering on the impact of culture on teenagers who are neurodiverse. Culture can be described as family heritage and traditions, community culture, school culture or workplace culture. Topics can range from teenagers who manage having ADHD, ADD, Autism, Epilepsy, etc. This process will teach you how to tap into current studies regarding neurodiversity, communicate publicly about the intersection of culture and learning/living/being with neurodiversity, and to raise awareness about the services and resources associated with neurodiversity. You will gain skills in writing, editing, communication, technology, digital services, and community engagement statregies.
History, Literature, Languages, Public Health
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
Research Paper
Writing a research paper on a specific theme or question related to history, art, cinema, or literature
Literature, Creative Writing
Documentary arts & film
Are you looking to make a short film? Do documentary research for an art project? Conduct oral history interviews? I can support mentees in documentary research and production for an artistic project in their media of choice (film, video, art, sound, installation, poetry, creative nonfiction, social practice, etc). Our process could support archival research, place-based observation, interviewing, technical and creative support (for recording audio, video or photo), pre- and post-production, and documentary ethics. If you're not sure what you want to make, we can think together on research topic, creative processes of inquiry, and artistic outcomes.
Arts, Literature, Creative Writing
How to Read Theory
Is there a theoretical work that you've always wanted to read but have never had the opportunity to? This project will give you that chance! Together, we will work through a text of your choosing and discuss how to talk about and how to read theory.
Arts, History, Literature, Social Science
Narrating a Life
Is there anybody in your family, your neighborhood, your church or your school whose life or work inspires you? Based on digital ethnographic methods and with the aim to write a testimonial, in this project you will be able to delve into the lives of people from your community that spark your interest. While Covid-19 is still out there, technology offers plenty of resources to tell the stories of people whose lives are compelling to you.
Literature, Photography, Creative Writing
Poem-O-Rama
Write, revise, and assemble a chapbook of poems that dramatizes related stories, histories, or ideas. We'll use open-ended prompts to spur the imagination, exploring different forms and poetic devices.
Literature, Creative Writing
What's unique about your neighborhood? Creating a neighborhood based art history project
Students would create a project based on their neighborhood, and the history, communities and cultures that exist there. This project would involve researching the demographics of their community, and potentially reaching out to different community organizations to find out more about them and their cultures. It also would involve researching the history of their neighborhood, from what indigenous people occupied the land to more recent social and political history. Then, students would create an art history project, that could be featured as a public event/ exhibit / public mural in their neighborhood. This project would be adapted to every student's geographical location, neighborhood and community and is open to creative interpretation.
Psychology, Arts, History, Literature, Social Science, Organizational Leadership
Poetry and Social Media
The rise of social media networks, particularly Instagram, have created a boom in the poetry world because of the quick and widespread way these short, imagistic poems can circulate. How has social media impacted the study of poetry as we know it? Have more people been interested in poetry because of these "instapoets"?
Social, Psychology, Literature, Creative Writing
Communicating Science!
Let's craft a communication piece for a general audience on a environmental topic of your choice. Skills you will get to practice include reading and making sense of scientific articles, writing for a general audience. Outcome products could include a blog post, podcast, video, brochure, webpage, GIS story map or other product student is interested in.
Biology, Psychology, History, Literature, Environmental Science
Ancient World Expert AI
In this project you'll train a computer AI to teach your fellow students about some part of the ancient world. Perhaps you'll create an expert AI in ancient myth, or Greek drama, or Ancient Egyptian history. You'll learn a lot more about your chosen subject area (remember, AI often lies, even when it sounds like it knows what it's doing) and gain skills in researching and understanding the ancient world. At the same time this project will teach you some programming basics and give you practical wisdom about both the opportunities and the risks of current AI.
Literature, AI/ML
Exploring the applications of spintronics technology
In this project, students would explore real-life applications of spintronics technology, a cutting edge and rapidly evolving field of research. By looking into fundamental research that has happened throughout the past years as well as reading into recent papers that have been published, students can give an overview of the overall topic, as well as potentially propose their own ideas or applications.
Ethics, Physics, Arts, Engineering, Literature
What Difference Does Translation Make?
In the age of instant translation, what is the point of literary translation? Is it on the way out? Taking one central text, we compare both existing published translations and instant translations. We ask what translation aims to do and how it “works.” At the end of 10 sessions, we’ll either be vindicated or we’ll let Google take it from here.
Arts, History, Literature, Languages
Digital Humanities: New Directions in Media
What does the future hold for the humanities? The student will explore current trends in the growing field of the “Digital Humanities,” research its history, and envision its next steps. How might reading, writing, and analysis change with the times, and what possibilities open?
Arts, History, Literature, Languages
Review of Reviews: How Canons Are Made
For this project, you'll select a very recently published work of American literature and conduct a survey of the critical reception of the work. Putting your own reading of the work together with research on the author and on the genres with which that author is staging a conversation, you will determine, in an analytical piece of writing, whether the work you have read merits the reception that it has received. For example, if the author you've chosen has written a novel, how does the work speak to the history of the novel? Does it perform any innovations on the genre? Or does it abide by certain conventions visible in other novels belonging to a similar body of works? To answer such questions, you will bring your own reading of the text and the survey of its critical reception with together with a historical understanding of the genre to which it belongs or to which it aspires to belong. This project is intended both to deepen your relationship to a contemporary living author, and to engage your critical sensibilities with the question of canon formation. What kinds of works earn accolades? How do critics make determinations about generic belonging? When and how are new genres born? Depending on your own interests, your project can take a more scholarly tone or it can be written more in the style of a New York Review of Books feature, helping you hone your own voice as a public intellectual.
Philosophy, Literature
Write, Design, and Edit Your Own Zine!
First appearing in science-fiction circles as early as the 1930s, zines are a creative outlet that has become synonymous with counter-culture and self-expression. From 1980s punk zines to photography and poetry zines, this versatile art and literary form is meant to be self-published and shared to create networks with like-minded people. In this project, I will guide you through the wonders of zine-making, to create your very own self-published zine! Whether you are looking to expand your creative writing skills, considering a more journalistic approach, or even want to connect to a fan community through your writing and art, this project will be the perfect opportunity to expand your writing and crafting abilities!
Philosophy, Literature, Languages