core-program

pods

pathfinders

programs

about-us

program

team

careers

projects

mentors

project-ideas

blog

mentor-faq

scholars

reviews

symposium

research-archive

research-opportunities-for-high-school-students

Our next winter deadline is December 15, 2023 11:59pm PT. Apply today to lock in your spot!

10-session deep dive into a research topic of your choice

6-week research project with an expert and peers who share your passion

A career discovery experience with 3 expert mentors in your chosen fields

research-ideas-for-high-school-students

research-opportunity-guides

showcasing-opportunities

student-faq

for-mentors

for-educators

for-parents

resources

about

outcomes

The changing regulatory environment for crypto, countries adopting cryptos to use as their national currency, war donations being made with crypto, and the wholesale ban of crypto transactions and wallets in other countries has raised questions regarding what crypto’s place will be in an evolving regulatory world. My research will center around examining the evolution of the development, regulation, shaping of cryptocurrencies by geopolitical events, and subsequent social and economic reactions to cryptocurrencies. This paper will 1) define why cryptocurrencies by nature are different than any other form of exchanging value, 2) explore the plethora of uses for crypto that have emerged over the past several years, 3) outline how regulations have enhanced and limited crypto’s use-cases, 4) explain how governments will be unable to replicate cryptocurrencies through centralized means, 5) discuss the Pros/Cons of using crypto in regulated environments, 6) discuss the Pros/Cons of using crypto in unregulated environments, and 7) ultimately suggest that cryptocurrencies are here to stay and be used in global and country specific economies.

The tentative main points of the paper are:

Explaining what cryptocurrencies are and how they are different from any other form of exchanging value. 

Explore the uses for crypto technology, coins, and NFTs. 

How different countries have used them, regulated them, and fallout from those actions.

Government created cryptocurrencies are centralized in nature and thus are unable to replace cryptocurrencies’ use cases.

Pro/Con analysis of crypto in regulated settings.

Pro/Con analysis of crypto in unregulated settings.

Conclusion: Crypto is a technology that is here to stay to be used in global and country specific economies.

Law, International Law, Finance, Business, Economics

In the wake of current geopolitical events, what is crypto’s place in a post regulatory world?

The first part is acquiring and parsing through data. Then you have to evaluate the data and see if it is possible for the machine to adapt to scenarios dependent on luck. The data we will get will be from Pokémon as it is a game that you can learn and grow as a player through playing the game, but has luck based components that can lead  to lots of different outcomes, which separates ML playing Pokémon from ML playing most board games, as most board games have zero luck dependency. Pokémon has a pretty simple set of moves with at most 9 options per turn for 2 players. The main focus will to be to analyze what options are chosen in specific scenarios and to see if said options leads to wins or losses, and to analyze the effectiveness of said options using a calculator. Data for Pokémon can be extracted from Pokémon showdown, and the GitHub, and via match transcripts from match replays that will be the main data source. The random components will change the scenario from predicting to adapting to see the capabilities of ML to react rather than predict, as in certain cases predicting all the options can require a lot of computing power, which might not be available. Also we will be able to see how the ML actually chooses to gamble on luck rolls and see if that correlates to a 50/50 or if the ML either chooses more consistent rolls, or gamble more often on lower probability rolls.

Chemical engineering & data science applied to biology

How can you use data science to analyze the outcomes in a turn based scenario with random components?

From Sarayu: I am planning on writing a research paper on wireless communication and its implementation in satellite communication. To start of the paper I want to give an introduction to what wireless communication is and the different steps included in the process such as transmission and modulation. Then I want to go into how wireless communication actually works and how signals and systems make it possible, I could talk about different types of signals and how continuous time signals act differently from discrete time signals? After this I want to talk about how wireless communication can be applied to satellite technology and explain what satellite communication is and how it is implemented often in much technology today.


Deep learning, machine learning, Python, Arduinos, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, computational imaging, optics, computational electromagnetics, signal processing, computational craft, computational art, algorithmic art

How Wireless Communications is Implemented on Satellite Technology  

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder which affects approximately 1% of the population, including more than one million women of childbearing age. Women with epilepsy have higher rates of pregnancy complications which affect both them and their children: they have a higher risk of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, bleeding in pregnancy, and excessive bleeding postpartum, and higher rates of congenital abnormalities and stunted cognitive development in children. Studies have shown that antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), particularly valproate, may trigger malformations and birth defects. Moreover, changes in AED prescription patterns, including a decrease in the use of valproic acid and carbamazepine, an increase in the use of lamotrigine and levetiracetam, and a decrease in polytherapy exposure, have been linked to a decrease in the prevalence of major congenital malformations. This study utilized an open source dataset (Lussier et al., 2017) including 318 women from the Taiwanese Registry of Epilepsy and Pregnancy (TREP), a voluntary prospective registry which collects questionnaire responses from pregnant women with epilepsy and AED prescriptions throughout pregnancy, delivery, and early childhood development. The dataset contains information about AED prescription, including number of medications taken, type of AED, and exposure to first generation AEDs (developed prior to 1993), and pregnancy outcome. We analyzed the data to find additional relationships between AED use and premature birth, need for a cesarean section, and other malformations, and built predictive machine learning models to aid in the prediction of the need for medical intervention in pregnancies involving epileptic women. We expect to find that polytherapy, exposure to first generation AEDs, and use of valproate serve as markers of premature birth or other obstetric complications. Results and discussion to be added later.

Neuroscience, Artificial and Biological Vision, Machine Learning, Computational Neuroscience, Psychology/Behavior, Biostatistics

How can the use of AEDs in epileptic women predict poorer perinatal outcomes?

Medical applications of AI/Machine learning, AI/ML in the field of radiology, cognitive neuroscience topics (especially memory), stroke pathology/imaging/interventions/epidemiology, diagnostic or interventional radiology

In this project, I have built machine learning models that can predict epilepsy diagnosis and epilepsy subtype (chronic vs. controlled) in children based on their eye movement data. I have also written an experimental research paper that covers the motivations for new ways of detecting epilepsy, my methods for determining the optimal models, and the clinical implications of the results. This project demonstrates the predictive value of certain saccadic eye movement parameters for detecting epilepsy. My models have achieved significantly above-chance performance and can be used to aid in low-cost, non-invasive epilepsy diagnosis for children.

A Predictive Model of Pediatric Epilepsy from Visually-Guided Saccades

Epigenetics is the study of how external factors from the environment change the way genes are expressed. Similar to how a change in DNA sequence may cause certain disorders, epigenetic modifications alter the biochemical and physical properties of DNA that affect gene activation to influence disease development. Epigenetic markers, which are found on the complex of DNA and protein known as chromatin, have been recognized as a potential gateway to achieving improved disease diagnostics. Thus far, we have obtained a foundational understanding of how epigenetic modifications affect chromatin in a laboratory setting. Adaptations of sequencing technology to assay epigenetic features of chromatin have enabled the identification of numerous biomarkers of disease. Here, we review the most widely studied epigenetic biomarker, DNA methylation, in cancer progression. However, a more mechanistic understanding of how epigenetic modifications impact chromatin structure to regulate gene transcription would advance the field even further. Many of these mechanisms involve changes in how the chromatin polymer compacts in nuclei and folds in three dimensions. In this paper, we not only discuss the current applications of multiple sequencing assays to study higher-order chromatin structure, but also propose microscopy-based techniques as the next frontier in translating epigenetic-based diagnostics to a clinical setting.  

Biological Engineering, Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology

Towards an Advanced Understanding of Epigenetic Disease: From Sequencing to Microscopy

Stuttering is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases. It is also characterized by involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the person who stutters is unable to produce sounds, and it prevails in every region of the world.  The etiology of stuttering is yet unknown, but previous studies have found different genes arrangement and brain dysfunction between people who stutter (PWS) and people who don’t stutter (PWNS), which pave the way for future research. Bilingualism is the use of more than one natural language, within the category of multilingualism, whose speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world population.

Multilingual speakers have been documented with higher levels of typical dis-fluency in their speech than their monolingual peers, which put multilingual speakers at greater risk of misdiagnosis as individuals who stutter. However, disparages are investigated between monolingual people who stutter (MWS) and bilingual people who stutter (BWS). Researchers have been examined MWS and BWS separately, yet limited research have been done to compare different performances between them. In this work, the overview of MWS and BWS are introduced: different types and traits of stutter between MWS and BWS are compared and the difference between brain structure, executive force, motor control, and cognitive reserve are investigated and synthesized based on previous studies. MWS appear to show deficits in executive control, while BWS seem to be classified as having greater potential in language, thus transferring to general executive control.


Research methods; General psychology; Social cognition; Developmental psychology; Theatre; Music composition; Film; Graphic design

The Difference of Performances And Brain Structures Between Monolingual Stutterers And Bilingual Stutterers

The project is focused on trying to create a game in Unity. Our goal during the mentorship is to figure out mechanics, aesthetics, and story to set them up to create a full game in his spare time afterwards.

Game Design/Development, learning the process of creating a game from start to finish, analyzing and creating games that have a transformational impact on the player

Game Pre-Production

This article presents a review of drama therapy’s effect in children’s psychological development and its possible therapeutic applications. Drama therapy is conceptualized as the use of theatrical techniques to allow the release of emotion to address unresolved trauma (Jennings et al., 1994). As people grow up, there is a decline in creativity that leads to a reduction in human ingenuity later on in life, thus decreasing society’s potential (Bronson & Merryman, 2010). Traumatic experiences, such as losing a loved one, is one of the main sources of psychological distress in children, and traditional therapy methods show only moderate success in these age groups (Edgar-Bailey & Kress, 2010). Confronting trauma and the ontogenetic decline in creativity will be explored through analyzing the effects that drama therapy has on improving children’s emotional wellbeing and promoting self-expression. This is crucial in exploring the future success in utilizing drama therapy as a more common form of therapy and as a platform for promoting creativity across the lifetime.

developmental psychology, early cognitive development, early language acquisition, gesture and communication, theater and performance studies

Developmental Approaches in Drama Therapy: Addressing Trauma and the Decline in Creativity

This article discusses the technical derivation and components of the ER=EPR conjecture by Susskind and Maldacena, starting with the mathematical derivation of Einstein-Rosen wormhole solution in general relativity, building on the Schwarzchild metric to arrive at the Eddington-Finklestein and Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates.  Lastly, it will construct a Penrose diagram to the four-part model of spacetime. It then introduces elementary ideas from quantum entanglement (EPR) and connects it to the wormholes solution in AdS/CFT holography. If time permits, we explore the interesting implications ER=EPR has on Hawking Radiation, firewalls, and black hole information theory.

Quantum Computing, Quantum Gravity, Black Holes

Exploring the links between Quantum Entanglement and Curved Space-Time

In this pod you will explore the theories, research, and practical applications that inform the fields of community psychology and social justice. We'll focuses on understanding and addressing the social, cultural, and systemic factors that influence well-being and social inequities. Through this process, you'll learn about conducting research and develop a skill set you can use to work to make changes you'd like to see in your community.

gender-based violence prevention and intervention; global health; public health; racial disparities in programs and health outcomes; program evaluation, culturally-responsive approaches to teaching, policy advocacy,  community-based research methods

Publish an article: Dive into community psychology and social justice

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a type of progressive dementia that causes loss of memory and function. It affects over 5.8 million people sixty years of age and older in the United States alone. When an individual has AD, neurodegeneration ultimately leads to severe impairment and eventually death. Throughout the stages of the disease, symptoms can range from mild forgetfulness to loss of motor control and bodily functions. Unfortunately, the disease may go unnoticed during initial stages if not tested for and detected early. Signs of Alzheimer's may accidentally be overlooked by physicians, especially if they are subtle. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning models (ML) can be used to improve the identification process of early signs of AD. Some neuropsychological impairments AD patients suffer from include memory loss, difficulty recalling words or phrases, changes in personality and behavior, and decline in bodily functions that affect day to day life. AI may be able to pick up certain details and data that human perception cannot. If trained with a proper data set, ML models would be helpful to physicians in this area of healthcare. In this systematic review, the different neuropsychological impairments visible in the early stages of AD will be discussed as they relate to ML, deep learning, and AI applications intended to aid the diagnosis of AD.

Artificial Intelligence Applications For Improving Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis Using Neuropsychological Assessments

A short film following a college student post pandemic as they navigate their day while dealing with anxiety while in New York City. The film depicts a rising NYU junior's struggle to combat day to day life while dealing with a common mental disorder. Specifically, the film gives an insight into the anxiety experienced by a college student that has been exasperated by the pandemic. As the city opens up, anxiety begins to embed itself in ways that are both unique but also predictable. The viewer can learn and perhaps empathize with the student in terms of anxiety as well as the pandemic and the infestation of more anxiety.

Clinical psychology, Sexuality, Racial and Gender Discrimination, Mental Health, Social Justice Issues, Maternal Psychology,

Anxiety: Day in the Life of a College Student

From its discovery in the immune systems of prokaryotes, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR/Cas9) system has revolutionized gene editing. With these advances in gene editing, there come many potential medical applications of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to treat genetic diseases. This paper describes methods of using CRISPR/Cas9 to treat the genetic disorder Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF is caused by a mutated cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (*CFTR)* gene, affecting many of the body’s cells. People carrying this mutation have thick and sticky mucus which can build up in the digestive tract and lungs, leading to severe blockages and damage. These blockages can lead to trouble breathing and a higher possibility of infection. This paper will examine the current cystic fibrosis treatment, including the available drugs and their limitations. CRISPR/Cas9 has the potential to completely cure the disease in one treatment through the modification of the *CFTR* gene in the patients’ cells. This paper describes delivery mechanisms and mechanistic details of the gene editing process and how it can be applied to cystic fibrosis patients.

Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Bioethics

How CRISPR/Cas9 Can Be Used to Treat Cystic Fibrosis

Many people die from rockfall every year when out in the wilderness. The purpose of this research is to use artificial intelligence in order to find the location of talus slopes, which are the aftermath of rockfall. This information can help by finding possible talus slope locations, which can help find locations where rockfall is likely to occur. This research will be completed with the use of a convolutional neural network, which is a neural network made using 2D convolutional layers, among other things.

Deep Reinforcement Learning, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Neural Networks, Perception

Using a Fully Convolutional Neural Network to determine the location of Talus Slopes in the King’s Canyon Area

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 49% of adolescents have experienced a mental health condition in their lifetime. That's almost half the population; chances are you or someone you know are experiencing a mental health condition right now. This podcast, titled “Mindful Scroll,” explores social media and its effects on teen mental health. The podcast first reviews the science behind the negative effects of social media for adolescents, examining how social media can lead to social comparisons, peer pressure, and false validation. There are also silver linings, such as the ability to boost self-esteem, discover oneself, and form communities. Guest speaker and child psychiatrist, Dr. Janani, shares her expertise on using social media in healthy ways. From this insight, we conclude that social media can be a positive addition to one’s life if used in moderation and mindfully.

**References**

**Introduction**

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). *Mental Health of Adolescents*. Office of Population Affairs.[ https://opa.hhs.gov/adolescent-health/mental-health-adolescents#:~:text=Ma[...]an%20prevent%20some%20problems](https://opa.hhs.gov/adolescent-health/mental-health-adolescents#:~:text=Many%20adolescents%20experience%20positive%20mental,some%20point%20in%20their%20lives.&text=The%20good%20news%20is%20that,health%20can%20prevent%20some%20problems) 
2. Fox, K. R., Choukas-Bradley, S., Salk, R. H., Marshal, M. P., & Thoma, B. C. (2020). Mental health among sexual and gender minority adolescents: Examining interactions with race and ethnicity. *Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology*, *88*(5), 402. [https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000486](https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000486) 
3. Williams, N. (2023). *How does Education Affect Mental Health?* News Medical Life Sciences. [https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-does-Education-Affect-Mental-Health[...]ith,day%2Dto%2Dday%20stressors](https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-does-Education-Affect-Mental-Health.aspx#:~:text=Lower%20education%20is%20associated%20with,day%2Dto%2Dday%20stressors). 
4. Biswas, T., Scott, J. G., Munir, K., Renzaho, A. M., Rawal, L. B., Baxter, J., & Mamun, A. A. (2020). Global variation in the prevalence of suicidal ideation, anxiety and their correlates among adolescents: a population based study of 82 countries. *EClinicalMedicine, 24*. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100395](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100395) 

**Downsides**

1. Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2019). Media use is linked to lower psychological well-being: Evidence from three datasets. *Psychiatric Quarterly, 90*, 311-331. [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11126-019-09630-7](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11126-019-09630-7)
2. Twenge, J. M. (2019). More time on technology, less happiness? Associations between digital-media use and psychological well-being. *Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28*(4), 372-379. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721419838244](https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721419838244) 
3. Balleys, C., Millerand, F., Thoër, C., & Duque, N. (2020). Searching for oneself on YouTube: Teenage peer socialization and social recognition processes. *Social Media + Society*, *6*(2), 2056305120909474. [https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120909474](https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120909474) 
4. Scissors, L., Burke, M., & Wengrovitz, S. (2016, February). What's in a Like? Attitudes and behaviors around receiving Likes on Facebook. In *Proceedings of the 19th ACM conference on computer-supported cooperative work & social computing* (pp. 1501-1510). [https://doi.org/10.1145/2818048.2820066](https://doi.org/10.1145/2818048.2820066) 

**Silver Linings**

1. Toma, C. L. (2013). Feeling better but doing worse: Effects of Facebook self-presentation on implicit self-esteem and cognitive task performance. *Media Psychology, 16*(2), 199-220. [https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2012.762189](https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2012.762189) 
2. Marengo, D., Montag, C., Sindermann, C., Elhai, J. D., & Settanni, M. (2021). Examining the links between active Facebook use, received likes, self-esteem and happiness: A study using objective social media data. *Telematics and Informatics, 58*, 101523. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101523](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101523) 
3. Balleys, C., Millerand, F., Thoër, C., & Duque, N. (2020). Searching for oneself on YouTube: Teenage peer socialization and social recognition processes. *Social Media + Society*, *6*(2), 2056305120909474. [https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120909474](https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120909474)

psychology (developmental, gender and sexuality, applied psychology), cognitive science, LGBTQ, activism, education and schools, mental health

Mindful scroll: A podcast exploring social media and its effects on teen mental health

A recent advance in battery research has yielded results that could revolutionize the battery industry for decades to come: lithium carbon dioxide batteries. They concentrate carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere, which turns into a liquid inside the battery. The liquid carbon dioxide is then heated back up into a gas, which activates a chemical reaction, producing energy. Lithium carbon dioxide batteries are a fascinating attempt at providing a large scale battery for energy storage and electric vehicles that are more environmentally friendly, are safer, and have a much greater energy density (kWh/kg) than existing technology, such as lithium ion batteries. However, to date, lithium carbon dioxide batteries have not been actively pursued due to a variety of problems with the framework including: an excess build up in carbon which ruins the battery after a few cycles of charge and discharge, net energy capacity loss with cycles of charge and discharge, and a release in carbon dioxide when discharging battery, resulting in effect more greenhouse gas emission than what is consumed via charge, and finally no definite catalyst to speed up this slow reaction. Furthermore, there are a heap of unanswered questions regarding the technology, such as how would it compare with competing technology when all problems are solved, and how would carbon capture be used efficiently in these batteries. By reviewing current models of the battery, we hope to find an appropriate design that is a current upgrade to lithium batteries by being more cost-efficient, sustainable, and reacts quickly.

Clean energy technologies (fuel cells, hydrogen electrolyzers etc.), electrochemistry, colloidal science, aerosol physics

Possible/Different approaches/propositions that can Advance the Current Technology/technological state of Lithium Carbon Dioxide batteries

This review examines the effectiveness of various home-based electrocardiography (ECG/EKG) technologies to diagnose and monitor atrial fibrillation (AF). Specifically, camera-based phone applications, wearable devices, and implantable cardiac devices will be compared with regards to accuracy in diagnosing AF. Furthermore, the feasibility of these technologies will be compared in the context of the predominant AF patient population.

Telemedicine, social media in medicine, rare skin diseases, dermatology, nutrition, Pre-Health studies

Effectiveness of Different Home-Based Electrocardiography Technologies in Diagnosing and Monitoring Atrial Fibrillation

Microglia are glial cells that act as the immune cells of the central nervous system(CNS), consisting of about 5-12% of CNS cells. These specialized cells serve three main functions: sensation of changes in the environment, phagocytosis to promote neuronal well-being, and a defensive function in response to injurious changes. Microglia are continuously active, sensing the environment for any changes to make an informed decision on whether to perform their housekeeping or defensive actions. These cells can take part in the pruning and remodeling of synapses or phagocytosis of dead or dying cells. They can also initiate neuroinflammation in response to infectious pathogens by producing cytokines such as TNF and IL-1 to summon additional cells to terminate the infectious agents. Microglia utilize hundreds of genes to perform these functions, but some of them contribute to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). In fact, some research has claimed that the majority of pathogenic genes and pathways are expressed most highly in microglia, suggesting that they might really be a nexus to understanding all these diseases  and finding new treatments. We can observe characteristics specific to microglial that have been linked to specific neurodegenerative diseases to try and further investigate their causes and how to treat them. Here, we discuss the role of microglia in specific neurodegenerative diseases and what current possibilities of further exploration exist to find therapies.

Neuroscience, Genetics, Biology, Neurodegenerative Disease

Investigating the Role of Microglia in Neurodegeneration

Shaurya is researching and writing a review article about how probiotics can help prevent certain diseases and infections. This article will discuss what probiotics are and how they can benefit the human body. It will have multiple subsections including: what metabolites they produce; how these microbes can physically fight off “invaders”; and what we (as humans) can do to support their growth. It will be prepared for potential submission to Polygence's Research website.

Microbiology, Microbiome, Bacteriology, Pathogens, IBD, Intestine, Immunology

Creating a review article about how probiotics can help prevent certain diseases and infections

This paper deals with social media companies' extensive surveillance of users’ data and concerns about user privacy and data protection. With the widespread use of social media platforms, concerns about Internet surveillance and the monitoring of the general public have grown substantially.Understanding how social media companies surveil users is crucial to understanding privacy implications and potential data misuse.

Meet Polygence Scholars and explore their projects