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Browse project ideas by Polygence mentors
Plant-based psychedelics for in Treatment-Resistant Depression
Plant-based psychedelics have historical use as medicinal products and more recently have emerged as innovative therapies for the treatment of mood disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this review, we will explore the neuroscience behind the mechanism of action for such therapies and neuroimaging reported outcomes.
Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Biology, Psychology, Chemistry
Data from everyday life
There is a common misconception that data exists only in numerical form. In reality, data can be quantitative or qualitative, can describe many aspects of everyday life, and can be used to uncover meaning both in research and in our personal experiences. In this project, students will choose an aspect of their own lives that they are curious about and systematically track a form of data related to it. Together, we will transform this data into a meaningful visualization and interpretation, exploring what was tracked, what patterns emerged, and why those patterns matter to the student. This project emphasizes creativity, reflection, and the power of data as a tool for understanding the world. To get inspired, I recommend seeing this TED Talk and the Dear Data project: TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFIDCtRX_-o Dear Data: https://www.dear-data.com/theproject
Social, Psychology, Cognitive
Writing a research proposal
Strong research ideas often emerge at the intersection of personal curiosity and gaps in the existing literature. In this project, students will begin by identifying a research topic they are genuinely interested in. For example, how social media affects teenagers, especially whether using social media before bed changes how teens feel about themselves or interact with others. Then they will conduct a targeted literature review. Together, we will then pinpoint open questions or limitations in prior work and develop a novel, testable research question. The project will culminate in writing a scientific-style research proposal. Through this project, students will learn how to: - Conduct an effective literature review - Read scientific articles and identify gaps and limitations in existing research - Write clearly and persuasively for a research audience - Articulate why their research questions matter and demonstrate the significance of their proposed study
Social, Psychology, Cognitive
Science Blog
One of the most important skills a student can develop is the ability to read scientific research and think about it critically. In this project, students will closely examine a scientific journal article describing an experimental study and learn how to evaluate its key components. Together, we will then practice translating the article’s findings into clear, accessible language by writing a short blog post aimed at a general audience. An example topic could be "How Pretend Play Builds Real Thinking Skills"! Through this project, students will learn how to: - Use the QALMRI method to systematically unpack a scientific journal article - Critically evaluate a study’s methods, results, and limitations - Translate technical scientific writing into engaging, everyday language
Social, Psychology, Cognitive
Promoting Reusable Cup Programs
This project will investigate the messaging that is used to promote reusable cup programs. We can look at the local level, to understand how this appears in your local businesses. Interviews with cafe managers, for instance, could ask: What messages are cafes currently using? How effective are they in terms of customer participation? Interviews with customers will ask: Which messages do customers find most effective? (Messages currently used by cafes, in addition to messages that could be used, will be investigated.) The outcome could be a list of recommendations for establishments with reusable cup programs or a blog post.
Creative Writing, Engineering
Designing Spaces of Resistance: A Speculative Activist Project
In this project, students will research how activists around the world have used space creatively, from murals and temporary installations to occupied plazas and community-run buildings to challenge injustice. Students will then design a speculative “space of resistance” responding to a social issue they care about (climate justice, housing, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, migration, etc.). The final outcome may include drawings, collages, maps, short essays, or multimedia storytelling, blending research with imagination to show how design can be a tool for social change.
Psychology
Who Controls Public Space, and Why? Power, Protest, and the Built Environment
This research project examines how power operates through public space. Students will explore questions like: Who decides how public spaces are designed, policed, and regulated? Whose bodies are welcomed and whose are criminalized? Using examples such as protest zones, anti-homeless architecture, border infrastructure, or militarized policing of public space, students will connect spatial design to broader systems of power including capitalism, colonialism, and state violence. Students may produce a critical essay, spatial analysis, or speculative redesign that challenges dominant narratives of “neutral” public space and proposes alternative, justice-oriented futures.
Psychology
Decentralized autonomous organizations
Blockchains are not just useful for cryptocurrencies; they also enable novel forms of governance. In this project, we'll explore decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). DAOs can govern all sorts of things, from financial protocols, to
Economics, Philosophy, Math, Computer Science
Building a Simple Animal Tracker from Smartphone Video
Scientists use artificial intelligence and machine learning to automatically track how animals move and behave from video. Instead of manually watching and measuring, computers can now identify key body parts (like a fish's head and tail, or a person's joints). In this project, you'll use state-of-the-art tools that researchers actually use in their labs with no coding experience required.
Neuroscience, Physics
How does a sustainability narrative influence consumer behaviour and accountability of brands?
You could choose an industry that you’re interested in (e.g. beauty, fashion, food), a age demographic, and then explore the difference in consumer perception and brand accountability between different brand approaches, such as: brands that have some sustainable practices and don’t market them at all, brands that have some sustainable practices and share in marketing materials but it isn the focus, brands that have sustainability at the core of their messaging and mission. We’ll construct a structured research plan to understand what influences consumer behaviour to deduce why some brands are outperforming others, if consumers hold brands that use sustainability marketing to a higher level than those that don’t, and understand why some brands that have sustainable practices are choosing not to market them. The output could be a presentation or research paper with your analysis and findings summarising if marketing sustainability is generally a positive or negative impact and why some brands choose not to as part of their GTM plan.
Fashion, Business
