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
Mapping the Brain
How can we identify circuits in the brain that underlie specific behaviors and what tools can we use to do this? Often, a behavior or sensation can feel like magic. Pick any phenomenon that you experience that feels mysterious to you and we can work together together to hypothesize how your brain is generating this perception. Examples: Why does this chocolate taste sweet? How does my brain tell me when I'm full? Why do I feel addicted to my favorite song? This project can result in a "pop science" podcast or review article to showcase your science writing or communication skills.
Biotech, Neuroscience
Science Communication Blog/Page
Communicating scientific findings to the general population, in a way that is intriguing and accurate, is a feat that many scientists are working diligently to accomplish. You can contribute to this by starting a blog about any subject of choice (i.e. a neurodegenerative disease, technical advancements in the field, use of human stem cells, etc) and accurately summarizing the key findings of nominal papers in the field. Each blog page/post will be dedicated to a specific paper where you will evaluate and write about their approach, findings, as well as what information needs more clarification. This will teach how to proficiently read primary literature and communicate to a general public audience by writing summaries.
Biology, Neuroscience
Create your own research proposal!
Is there a topic you've always wanted to investigate? A question you've always had about the way the mind or the brain works? Develop your own research proposal, and maybe even collect some preliminary data! Together we can take your question and use it to develop a hypothesis that will guide your data collection. You could create a survey, perform a literature review, or design your own experiment. I can then help you translate that work into a manuscript.
Psychiatry, Biology, Neuroscience, Social, Psychology
Literature Review: 5-HT2 (Serotonin)-specific Small Molecules and Their Potential Applications
5-HT2 receptors (release serotonin) are important for regulation of sleep and play a role in the disease progression of depression. SSRIs target the serotonin transporter (SERT) and are often used for treatment of depression and some sleep conditions. However, specifically targeting serotonin receptor release could provide potential nuance and benefit in treatment of serotonin-related conditions. This review would entail reading about the function of 5-HT2 receptors and explore current research in selective small molecule development.
Neuroscience, Chemistry, Medicine
Characterizing the progression of Alzheimer's disease
In this project, you will investigate the various factors that play a role in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). You will characterize the events that occur throughout the time course of the disease and the determine their significance. You will become well-versed in the early and late symptoms of AD, the biomarkers that play a role in the progression AD, the cutting-edge techniques to measure these biomarkers, brain anatomy, and how to conduct a literature review.
Neuroscience, Psychology, Cognitive
Pop! Goes the Neurons!
Explore how sodium influx causes neurons to pop(!) with action potential. Dive into the physiological function that’s the very basis of all neural activity!
Neuroscience
Review Article on the use of CRISPR as a Therapeutic Technique for Genetic Diseases
A literature review on the potential of the gene editing technology CRISPR for use in the clinic on human subjects. As an emerging technology, CRISPR shows great promise, but there have been no clinical trials to use CRISPR-mediated genome editing as a therapy in humans. A review article would elaborate on the potential for CRISPR-based drugs as well as the obstacles and potential pitfalls of such an approach.
Biology, Neuroscience
Does cannabis have therapeutic effects for bipolar disorder?
In this project, you will learn about the underlying molecular deficits in bipolar disorder and how their symptoms manifest. You will then combine your knowledge of current treatments for bipolar disorder patients as well as the pharmacological mechanisms of cannabis to see whether it could either alleviate or worsen some of these patients' symptoms.
Psychiatry, Neuroscience
The Effects of Mountain Biking on Physical and Mental Health in Vermont
It is well known that physical activity and sports are good for your mind, body and overall health. However, the specific effects of downhill mountain biking compared to other less dangerous activities like running or yoga are unstudied. Does the risk of injury in a dangerous sport outweigh the physical and mental benefits? For you to find out!
Cancer, Neuroscience, Psychology
Identifying novel strategies to treating neurodegenerative disorders
In recent years, many groups have performed large-scale functional genomics screens to identify target genes that can influence the cellular phenotypes thought to be central to neurodegenerative diseases. The results of many of these screens are publicly available. This project would involve 1) determining which cellular phenotypes would be of highest interest to target for a specific neurodegenerative disease; 2) mining the publicly available datasets to create a short list of candidate target genes; 3) reading through literature about candidate targets to prioritize specific ones based on specificity; 4) developing a therapeutic strategy to target the specific molecule of interest.
Biology, Neuroscience
What can't astrocytes do??
Astrocytes are star-shaped non-neuronal cells in the brain and for a long time they were thought to be just support cells, but a few decades ago it was discovered they are way more than passive support players in the brain. In this project, you will learn more about the many functions of these amazing brain cells, how they interact with neurons, and how they contribute to proper brain function, behavior, and disease states.
Biology, Neuroscience
Foundations of Structural MRI Physics
In this project, you will learn about the physics of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). You will explore the physics of the MRI machine and how those signals interact with the body to produce a structural MRI. You may choose to focus on anatomical images or diffusion-weighted images, or you may explore both topics. You will then produce an a scientific review paper or infographic depicting the process, depending on your preference. Prerequisites Basic understanding of physics and biology.
Neuroscience, Psychology, Cognitive, Statistics
Using Human Centered Design to Develop an Implicit Bias Intervention
Implicit Bias is a well documented source that reinforces and encourages systemic biases in positions of power. Using principles of human centered design, including empathy, strategy, and building for scalability and sustainability, we can develop targeted interventions for people with positions of power to address their potential biases and learn how to mitigate or overcome them.
Neuroscience, Psychology, Arts, History
Health Psychology - Coping with Stress
What is psychological stress? How do people deal with stress, especially in the midst of a pandemic such as COVID-19? This project would focus on gathering information and data to write a research paper/review on stress levels, coping strategies, and the psychological (and physiological) implications of stress. Stress can be defined as acute and chronic, each of which acts on our bodies and minds in different ways. Furthermore, not all stress is "bad" stress. In fact, a hot part of this research is focused on resiliency in the face of stress. How people respond given their previous experiences and psychological state has been extensively studied, but is always worth an updated exploration and review!
Biology, Neuroscience
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
Mapping out the Connectome
The brain is a highway of connected networks composed of billions of cells that can make trillions of connections (called synapses) that allow brains to function! Understanding how different regions of the brain are connected and communicate with each other is crucial to understanding how the brain works. To uncover how the brain works, scientists have attempted to form a "map" of ALL these connections in the brain, known as the "connectome". Students could look into how scientists are trying to form the connectome, how much progress has been made, and what the future holds for this daunting endeavor!
Biology, Neuroscience, Psychology
Genes and Addiction: Are Some People More Likely to Become Addicted?
This project focuses on the intersection of genetics and addiction, specifically on genes linked to our brain's reward system. By examining genetic data and correlating it with behavioral patterns in individuals with addiction, we aim to explore the possible predisposition to substance abuse. We're particularly interested in investigating if certain genetic variants are more common in individuals struggling with addiction, and how these variants might influence the severity of addiction and response to treatments. In the second phase of the project, we'll explore how these genetic factors interact with environmental triggers to influence addiction behaviors. By comparing individuals with similar genetic predispositions but different environments, we can gain insights into how these two factors interplay in the context of addiction. The insights gleaned from this project could potentially improve our understanding of addiction and inform future strategies for prevention and treatment.
Neuroscience, AI/ML, Cognitive
Brain Cells Children's Book
I bet you've heard of neurons, but do you know what glial cells are? There are so many cell types in the brain working together to coordinate proper brain development and function. In this project, you'll research about the different cell types in the brain, such as glia. You'll learn about how they interact together, what functions they perform, and how they are messed up in neurological disorders. You'll turn all this knowledge into a children's book to teach kids about all the different cells in the brain!
Biology, Neuroscience
Henrietta Lacks: The ethics, history, and impact of HeLa cells
Have you ever heard of HeLa cells? They are a very commonly used cell line in science labs all over the world. Huge discoveries have been made that likely would not have been possible without these "immortal" cells. But they have a dark past...the original HeLa cells were taken from a black woman named Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) in 1951 without her knowledge, consent, or compensation. In this project, we will explore the biology and history of HeLa cells and read "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot. You can then create a podcast (or other form of media) to educate scientists about the woman behind HeLa cells, the ethical dilemma around their existence, and the impact Henrietta's cells have had on the field. (Photo credit: Lacks family)
Music, Neuroscience, Ethics
Design a Mass Spec based experiment to test a new Alzheimer's drug in mice.
What does the drug do? What mouse model do you use? What are you measuring? What controls will you set up? What is the end read out be? What proteins will you investigate?
Neuroscience
