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
Eigenvalues and the Fibonacci Sequence
The Fibonacci sequence is an ordered collection of numbers, where each number is the sum of the two preceding Fibonacci numbers. Computing the 10th, or even the 67th number in the sequence is an arduous task, requiring one to sum up a multitude of values. However, what if there was a better way to arrive at these numbers? Using linear algebra, particularly the concept of eigenvalues and eigenvectors, we can find a "closed form solution" to our problem. This means that we'll arrive at a function where, upon plugging in some number X, we'll get out the Xth Fibonacci number. This project is appropriate for any student who has taken a precalculus class.
Math, Statistics
Does Frailty Differ by Mental, Physical, and Socio-Demographic Factors?
Frailty phenotype is described as an aging-related syndrome of physiological decline (e.g., decreased strength, ability to walk, and get up). Those with frailty are at risk of adverse health outcomes. Therefore, understanding what factors increase the chances of developing frailty could be important to intervene and help to stop or delay the onset of frailty. To explore mental, physical, and socio-demographic factors that could be associated with frailty, we will use NHANES data to explore this.
Public Health, Statistics
Understanding the "Reproducibility Crisis"
In this project we would go over several important readings and papers to understand the so-called "reproducibility crisis" in science. "Reproducibility crisis" refers to there being a large number of studies whose findings cannot be reproduced by other researchers. For instance, one psychology report was only able to reproduce 36 out of 100 findings from top journals. We will begin by discussing the statistical, game-theoretic, and structural reasons causing the crisis, and then discuss several new tools scientists have developed to overcome it. The culmination of this project could be a blog post summarizing what we have learned and suggestions for further improvement. Alternatively, a student could also conduct an analysis of these tools to compare and contrast their efficacy.
AI/ML, Statistics
Data Analysis of an Open EEG Data Repository
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive neural recording that measure electrical potentials generated by the brain using scalp electrodes. In an effort to open scientific collaboration to global researchers, scientists have released EEG datasets as open repositories on websites such as OpenNeuro and PhysioNet, among others. This project would involve analyzing a dataset using data science and statistical methods in pursuit of scientific insight regarding a hypothesis-driven research question. This project will utilize skills ranging from scientific literature review, hypothesis generation and research design, implementation of statistical methods, and programming in Python/MATLAB. This project would be ideal for a student interest in neuroscience or medicine with an aptitude for quantitative methods and coding.
AI/ML, Statistics
Bioinformatics analysis to discover the molecular nature of a disease (e.g. cancer) and propose new drug targets
Recent years have seen an explosion of publicly available genomic datasets related to human health and disease. Among the most powerful datasets available today are single cell RNA sequencing datasets, which capture information about which genes are active in thousands of individual cells. By studying the differences in scRNAseq data between healthy cells and those with a disease (e.g. a tumor vs normal tissue), we can learn about how the disease works on a molecular level and even identify new drugs to treat the disease. This bioinformatics approach can be applied to any disease with publicly available scRNAseq data, such as many forms of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and asthma. Datasets can be downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) and the European Nucleotide Archive (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/). Students conducting a project of this type will gain skills in gathering publicly available sequencing data, genomics analysis and visualization in Python, and statistical tests used in biomedical research. Along the way, students will learn about the fundamental biology of the disease they choose to study.
Biotech, Biology, Computer Science, Statistics
Outcome Analysis of Surgical Interventions
By using publicly available data, we can evaluate the effects of multiple variables of interest on surgical outcomes, based on your own clinical interest. Ultimately, we could assess how the presence of co-morbidities (ex: diabetes, hypertension, etc) or demographic variables (ex: sex, age, socioeconomic status, etc) affect outcomes of a given surgical intervention (ex: gastric bypass, hip fracture, etc). This project can be applicable to a variety of fields and can be tailored towards your own passions!
Neuroscience, Computer Science, Social Science, Statistics
Modeling the spread of an infectious disease (e.g., COVID-19)
In this project, we will learn about mathematical modeling and its diverse applications in epidemiology. Pertinent questions may be: Which infectious disease should we model (i.e., the “big picture” context)? What is the nature of the data we are provided with (i.e., exploratory data analyses)? What are the various types of modeling frameworks available to us (i.e., model paradigm)? On what levels can models be compared (i.e., model comparison)? Which steps should be taken to ensure the accuracy of our model (i.e., model checking)? The chosen paths of exploration will depend on the student’s interests. Final Notes: If you have a particular idea for a project in mind, I am happy to guide you throughout your journey. Intellectual curiosity is a vital component of the research process!
Computer Science, Math, Statistics
Hidden in plain sight: Image Encryption and Matrix Factorization
In this project, the student will learn matrix theory and how to manipulate matrices using Octave, a free software package very similar to Matlab (fun fact -- Matlab is short for Matrix Laboratory!). We will use one of the most important matrix factorizations (the singular value decomposition, or SVD) to compress, alter, and even encrypt images. No coding experience is necessary, but prior knowledge of Matlab will allow us to explore the project even further.
Math, Statistics
Stock Market Analysis
This project can involve the use of time series analysis and regression analysis. The students can gather data on stock prices for a company of their choice and use time series methods, such as moving averages and exponential smoothing, to analyze trends in the stock market. They can also use regression analysis to explore the relationship between stock prices and other economic factors, such as inflation, interest rates, or gross domestic product. Through this project, students can learn about finance and economics, as well as how to use data to make investment decisions. They can also learn about time series analysis and regression analysis, and how to use these methods to explore trends and relationships in data.
Engineering, Math, Statistics
The Study
Do you have the perfect research questions and a clear sense of how you want to go about answering them? Then let's do the study together! By conducting a psychology study, you'll put together a research plan, carry it out over a period of time, and learn how to synthesize the data. Together, we'll put your research skills to test, discuss extensively the ethics of psychology research, and take data-analysis step-by-step. At the end of this project, you'll have completed a research study, and earn the life-long bragging rights among family and friends!
Social, Psychology, Social Science, Statistics
Science communication and outreach
Science communication is an important component of conducting research. Together, we could research a topic of interest and create an easy-to-use resource (e.g., commercial, blog post, or newsletter) to explain our findings to general audiences.
Biology, Public Health, Statistics
Podcast To Help BIPOC Students Thrive In School
This project entails using case studies, academic research articles, and other sources to cover the issues Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students face (e.g., racial oppression and mental health concerns) and the ways they overcome them (e.g., support from friends and family, therapy, and academic resources). The product will be a multi-part podcast that serves as a resource to help BIPOC students thrive, not just survive in school.
Social, Statistics
Why do people believe conspiracy theories?
Why do people endorse conspiracy theories like the belief that humans have never been to the moon? First we can dive into scientific papers that have studied why conspiracy theories and other extreme beliefs emerge and what environmental conditions might increase them. We can even think about how the covid-19 pandemic has affected people’s conspiracy-related beliefs. You can then use surveys to study whether different forms of stress or emotional states lead to higher endorsement of conspiracy theories. For instance, do people who experience more uncertainty or anger in their lives also believe more conspiracy theories? Have another idea for studying conspiracy theories, let’s try it!
Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Statistics
Bridging the Learning Gap with Open-Source Data
This project is designed for exploring educational equity by using open-source data to investigate disparities in educational access and outcomes in diverse communities. Students will learn how to gather, analyze, and visualize data, enabling them to better understand the complexities of educational equity and contribute to positive change in their communities. Learning Outcomes: - Enhanced data collection and analysis skills. - Improved understanding of educational equity and disparities. - Awareness of the factors contributing to disparities in education. - The ability to visualize and present data effectively. - Empowerment to advocate for positive change in the field of education.
Economics, Math, Social Science, Statistics
Machine learning approaches to better understand disease
The field of genomics is very good at sharing data publicly! Large studies conducted on humans have accrued millions of data points across many publicly-available data sets. These provide an amazing substrate to test the utility of machine learning approaches to better understand disease. A machine learning approach that is good at predicting disease from such data can be very helpful for medical professionals when making diagnoses. In this project, an interested student may start by downloading data from a few studies of interest and using machine learning or statistical learning approaches to identify genes that may contribute to disease. Students can compare various approaches and identify methods that work well in genomic datasets.
Biology, Computer Science, AI/ML, Statistics
Imagine if: Student perspectives on how to make school better
The main research question for this research project is: How would students redesign their school experience to be more interesting and meaningful? To answer this question, the researcher may interview several students from a particular school, asking them what they would change about school to make it a better experience. The researcher would find similarities between all the interviews and use those to develop common themes.
Statistics
Perceptions of cannabis use during the pregnancy period
Often people assume substance use is a easy choice, that people have not thought about the effects on them or their families. In recent literature, we have found the opposite. People often really weigh the decision of using cannabis during pregnancy quite heavily and chose to use for personal reasons. This project would explore those reasons for use depending on legalization, and access to other treatment.
Neuroscience, Psychology, Statistics
Conducting and writing a scientific review
In this project, you will write a scientific review-style paper on a topic of your choice. Topics could range anywhere within psychology or neuroscience, from "how do we diagnose dementia?" to "what are genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease." This process will teach you how to find, access, and critically analyze existing scientific literature and how to assemble primary literature into a scientific review. You will gain skills in writing and editing, as well as an in-depth knowledge of your chosen research topic.
Psychiatry, Statistics
Building a research study or review on the impacts of social media
We can read, synthesize, and report on the current research associated with digital media use, such as social media, and create hypotheses that you can test for your own research paper. This would include learning how to conduct a thorough literature review, find relevant publications, cite your sources, and compose concise and focused research questions. From these questions we can create a proposal for what method(s) might be used to explore and test these questions.
Photography, Statistics
Is this "statistically significant" ?
This project will teach some introduction statistics concepts (what does "statistically significant" REALLY mean? what does it NOT mean?). We will work with a publicly available dataset to understand and apply concepts of data analysis and hypothesis testing.
Math, AI/ML, Statistics
