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
Exploring Local Agricultural Systems
Let's research how food gets to your plate and the impact of global and local agricultural systems. This research slide deck will allow you to communicate food systems impacts to an audience of peers. To build this presentation, you'll explore research papers but also interview local food systems advocates in local government and from farms in your area. This is a great way to learn about something we encounter multiple times a day (food!) that has deep global impacts that are often not obvious. This is a great project for anyone interested in food, the environment, or policy.
Business, Organizational Leadership
Launching a Media Brand
Building a media brand is a great way to garner visibility around your ideas an passions. Creating podcasts, blogs, and videos is a fun and fulfilling way to dig deeper into your interests, gives structure to learning in a creative way, and builds a portfolio to easily communicate your passion with others (including future employers and university admissions). For this project, we'll begin by studying some excellent examples of educational digital media and discussing how and why they are successful. From there, you will build a proposal for a media project and actually launch on at least one platform.
Business, Organizational Leadership
Literature Review
Write a literature review on an important topic or issue. Learn how to synthesize current research papers and articulate your own thoughts and ideas on the topic.
Social, Psychology, Organizational Leadership
What Drives Healthcare Innovation?
The intersection between AI, technology, big data, and medicine draws increasing attention amongst health care leaders. With massive advancements in health data for prophylactic management, telemedicine, and robotic surgeries, healthcare innovation centers are in high demand. Housed in either private industry or academic research universities, healthcare innovation centers drive cross-sector collaboration to advance the art and science of medicine; however, not all innovation centers succeed. In this project, you will interview healthcare leaders from innovation centers across the country, uncovering which factors drive centers to successful innovation and which factors leave centers unable to change the status quo.
Public Health, Finance, Organizational Leadership, Medicine
DEI in the Workplace
Diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforces drive better business outcomes for organizations. While many organizations have aspired to these goals, progress has been slow. Many are now working to make the necessary changes that create safe and inclusive spaces. Create a strategy that meaningfully builds a workforce that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Business, Organizational Leadership
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
Start-Ups 101
Learn everything you need to launch, refine, or expand your start-up. Haven't started yet? We'll begin with ideation, market research, go-to-market strategy and more, taking your idea from an initial concept to a robust, actionable business plan. Already have something built? We'll evaluate where you are, determine what is needed next, and take things from there. You'll learn not just how to move forward (or not!) with your current business idea, but a strategic way to evaluate potential businesses, programs, or products in the future.
Philanthropy, Business, Organizational Leadership
Develop Your Startup Blueprint in Ten Sessions
Develop Your Startup Blueprint in Ten Sessions Want to start your own business? Whether you have a unique business idea or you're driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, I will help you every step of the way. I have a wealth of experience in startups and valuable insights into the entrepreneurial process. My goal as a mentor is to assist you in refining your startup idea and guiding it to success through ten informative sessions. Together, we will simplify the concept of startups, generate business ideas, identify your target audience, and create an outstanding business plan. Additionally, we will explore marketing, finances, team building, product development, and scaling strategies. By the end of these sessions, you'll feel confident and well-prepared to navigate your entrepreneurial journey. Get excited ;)
Business, Organizational Leadership
A Research Paper Related to Higher Education
In this project, you will write a research paper on a topic of your choice within higher education. Topics could range anywhere around college access, success, persistence, and affordability, such as “mentorship programs for first-generation college students” to “the history of the Federal Pell Grant program.” You will gain skills in writing and editing, as well as in-depth knowledge of your chosen research topic. This process will teach you how to find, access, and critically analyze existing literature and how to assemble a research paper.
Organizational Leadership
Launching and Leading a Start Up
Launch your own company and officially register the business as well as develop the skills to grow it into an enterprise. This project will go over and result in the following deliverables being completed: -Business and LLC creation and registration -Receiving the business Tax ID -Creating a business website -Launching Facebook Advertisement Campaigns -A/B development and refines of Facebook Ads -Operations management -Scaling for the future -Fundraising
Finance, Organizational Leadership
Freedom of Information
Using freedom of information (FOI) requests, uncover and share information currently unknown by the public. Work to develop a compelling story and deliver it to those whose lives would be improved by this knowledge. Learn to file FOI requests, develop an understanding of local, state, and/or federal government transparency procedures and current obstacles to obtaining information. Establish routines and benchmarks for high-quality writing and compelling story crafting. Understand the mechanisms that allow for stories to have a positive impact.
Philanthropy, Organizational Leadership
Launch a volunteer program
We will explore the unique skills and resources that you bring the table, what needs you see in your local community, and what resources you might be able to leverage. From there we will work together on everything from ideation to market research to go-to-market strategy, taking your idea from an initial concept to a robust, actionable plan. Volunteer programs are unique in that they are more successful the more people you're able to involve - along the way, you'll learn and practice key skills around growing and leveraging an engaged network.
Philanthropy, Business, Organizational Leadership
Build Your Own Business Using the Lean Start-up Method
Do you wish you could be on Shark Tank? Through this project, a student would learn how to develop their own business using the Lean Start-up Method. This includes learning how to do market research, developing a business plan, and creating a pitch deck. The ultimate goal is to get investment!
Psychiatry, Social, Psychology, Philanthropy, Business, Organizational Leadership
Developing a new method of measuring multiraciality
Have you ever wondered what happens to data collected from participants who check the box "Multi-racial" when asked about their race or ethnicity? In most cases, those data points are discarded, because we currently lack a reliable and effective method of analyzing racial-ethnic differences among multiracial individuals. This project proposes a new statistical analysis method that potentially allows us to find unique and groundbreaking insights into the collection and measurement of multiracial data.
Psychology, Business, Statistics, Organizational Leadership
Write and pitch an op-ed
Learn how to research, structure, write, edit, and successfully pitch an op-ed or other piece of persuasive writing.
Philanthropy, Organizational Leadership
Game Design - Follow the Fun!
This project involves multiple smaller assignments where the goal is to create a game prototype/design every 2-3 weeks. The focus will be on practicing game design concepts while working on rapid prototyping skills. This project is great for students who may get stuck waiting for the "perfect idea" - we will work on letting go of the pressure to get something "perfect" and focus on creating something fun!
Organizational Leadership
Mental Health Career (or Startup)
Brainstorm potential careers in the mental health space or help with the early stages of a mental health startup, both in the for profit and in the nonprofit world. By the end of the project, students will be able to (i) make a career choice and understand the potential avenues to work with mental health; or (ii) start their own venture in mental health.
Philanthropy, Business, Organizational Leadership
The Psychological Effects of Opioid Use
Through this project, a student can research the psychological effects of opioid use through major psychology and medical journals. The student will write a research paper that could potentially be published.
Psychiatry, Social, Psychology, Philanthropy, Business, Organizational Leadership
Impacts of Conflict
In this project, we will analyze a region of conflict (i.e. - Balkans, Ukraine, Nigeria, etc.) and understand U.S. or international policy in that region. What are the root causes of the conflict? What are the drivers of instability? What are the impacts of the conflict? How should the U.S./international community address the conflict? The goal of this project is to produce a paper or presentation that provides an analysis of the conflict and provides lessons-learned or recommendations for U.S. Foreign Policy.
Social Science, Organizational Leadership
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