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.

Check out some projects

The Future of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Neuroradiology

From automated detection of intracranial hemorrhage to prognostication of stroke patient outcome, machine learning- and artificial intelligence-based tools are increasingly prevalent in neuroradiology. The question remains - how will these tools affect the future of radiology? In this project, the student will conduct a literature review recent advances in AI/ML and make their conjectures about how these tools will impact radiology workflows, patient care, and the future of the field.

Neuroscience, Computer Science, AI/ML, Cognitive, Medicine

Emily

What Does Normal Aging Look Like?

This project could take multiple forms, with the main focus being to discuss what makes up a normal aging process (e.g. Physical, cognitive, social, and other changes) and challenging aging myths and stereotypes). A project could look like: -A post on an academic or professional blog (Ex. the American Psychological Association Aging Blog, etc.) -A presentation/talk that could be given to members of the scientific community, fellow peers, or to members of one's local community -A review article discussing the differences between normal aging and pathology-affected aging -A Youtube video for a general or targeted audience, or other technology-based formats (e.g. a TikTok video series, a digital feature for a CV/resume) And many more!

Philosophy, Cognitive, Statistics

Alexander

How does DNA modifications affect the development of inhibitory neurons in the brain?

An appropriate balance of inhibition and excitation is critical for proper brain function. Interneurons are the main inhibitory neuron in the mammalian brain. A deficit in the interneuron population, and subsequent reduction in inhibition, has been implicated in neurological disorders, such as autism and epilepsy. Thus, identifying mechanisms that are important for proper interneuron development is crucial to better understand how these neurological conditions arise. One mechanism that is thought to be implicated is cell-specific methylation patterns; interneurons have their own unique DNA methylation pattern that could affect their development. Students will work with me to quantify different subtypes of interneurons in the brains of transgenic mice that do not express a methylation enzyme. Without the enzyme that produces methylation, will the number of interneurons be affected? If the total number is unchanged, do these interneurons have abnormal structure or connectivity? To answer these questions, students will use ImageJ (a free imaging software) to analyze images I produced in the lab and quantify interneurons across various brain regions. Students can also expect to read and discuss research articles related to interneuron development, learn brain anatomy and how immunohistochemistry can be used to answer research questions in neuroscience.

Biology, Neuroscience

Quetzal

The intersection of gender identity and autism spectrum disorder: an exploration of recent literature

An interesting and recently burgeoning discussion in the field of autism spectrum disorder is the high cooccurence of genderqueer identities. We could explore the literature much of it has received a critical reception. Setting aside the cultural controversy of such a topic is important in the pursuit of research. In this project we will review and discuss any relevant research, writing an analytical review of current literature.

Neuroscience

Daniel

Write a scientific literature review

Why are we the way that we are? Why do we do what we do? Psychology research is here to answer all your burning questions about human behavior. Gathering all of the background knowledge on a topic is a critical skill for any research project, so let's work together to help you build skills that you can apply to ANY research question. We'll learn how to find papers, how to read a scientific journal article, and how to write a literature review summarizing what we know about a certain topic. If you don't have a burning question in mind, here are some examples for where to start: How can high schools help support LGBTQ students? How has COVID-19 affected high school student learning and mental health? Does the SAT/ACT do a good job of predicting college success?

Psychology, Social Science

Abigail

Lighting up the brain!

Neurons, the cells of the brain, are dynamic electrical switches, turning ON and OFF as animals navigate everyday life. In neuroscience, a major goal is to understand how discrete neurons are responsible for regulating various types of behaviors, like feeding, freezing, and sleep (yes, sleep counts as a behavior!). How do researchers directly test the function of separate neurons on different types of behaviors? Are scientists able to turn these neuronal switches ON and OFF? In this project, we will explore some of the recent techniques scientists use to study specific brain regions and their role on different types of behavior in mouse models. Specifically, we will look at a technique called optogenetics, which involves artificially turning ON and OFF specific neurons using only LIGHT. By the end of this project, we will develop a research proposal that uses some of the techniques learned from our literature review. We will explore questions like: 1) How does optogenetics work? How is this different from other manipulation techniques (i.e. electrical stimulation)? 2) What are caveats to this technique that we should take into consideration? 3) How can we apply this technique to answer basic neuroscience questions? Can we come up with a project proposal that uses optogenetics?

Neuroscience

Salvador

Who am I on TikTok?

This project would investigate self-presentation on TikTok, looking at how people express themselves on it and if some are more or less authentic there compared to offline.

Social, Psychology, Cognitive

Lee

Web Development: Create Your Online Resume

Develop the front and backend of a resume website from scratch that describes you and your academic abilities to potential universities and employers. Gain experience with HTML/CSS, Javascript, and database integration.

Arts, Computer Science, Cognitive

Alice

Designing and completing a research project

Have you ever wanted to be a real-life scientist, but you don’t have your very own lab? In this project, you will design a research project that can be completed at home, gather data, and present that data as either a scientific poster or talk. You will learn about the scientific process, how to construct appropriate figures for your data, and how to communicate your results in a formal presentation. You will learn valuable research skills including identifying your independent and dependent variables, statistical analysis, and how to design the best approach to answering any scientific question!

Psychiatry, Statistics

Kyle

How do school start times affect students' grades?

This project involves exploring current research on child and adolescent development as it relates to sleep. What do we know about children's and teen's sleep needs? How have some schools responded to this information? Learn how to gather quality information from different sources and synthesize to make a conclusion.

Biology, Psychology, Cognitive

Adrian

Investigating the Effects of Exercise on Memory

This project will utilize a scientific research paper format to investigate the hypothesis that exercise persistently alters molecular mechanisms involved in long-term memory. You will learn how to break down and analyze primary research articles, how to ask your own research questions, proper experimental design, public speaking to translate science terms to a general audience, figure illustration, and more!

Cognitive

Carlene

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

Juliann

Science Communication

Dissemination of fake science is growing rapidly. In an attempt to combat this ever-growing phenomenon, the student will create a social media presence that is devoted completely to the communication of research articles of their interest. This project may involve the creation of infographics and digestible flyers that report data from research articles. Communicating (and digesting) science is a great skill to develop early in one's career!

Neuroscience, Psychology, Social Science

Melissa

Parent Evaluation of the UCLA TIES Infant Mental Health (IMH) program.

Develop an online parent survey as well as conduct qualitative interviews with referred foster/adoptive parents. The objective would be to obtain input from foster and adoptive parents participating in IMH to analyze the effectiveness of this program, perceptions of relationships with TIES, and if perceptions of relationships differed between families and UCLA TIES clinicians. The survey should include demographic and family history data that can be used to identify children that have been placed in care with higher risk factors (e.g., prior abusive history, number of placements, age of placement) who are statistically likely to experience emotional, social, and academic dysregulation in life. This evacuation is intended to be used to improve the quality of services received by adoptive/foster parents so that children placed in resource care are wholly supported.

Psychiatry, Music, Neuroscience, Social, Psychology, Social Science, Nutrition, Cognitive, Public Health, Organizational Leadership

Annalea

Bioinformatics

In this project, students will learn about RNA-seq and how to analyze and interpret data from these experiments. This includes providing a foundational introduction to quality control, alignment, and other data processing steps found in bioinformatics pipelines. Students will then use publicly available gene expression data (e.g. Allen Cell Types Database) to generate plots and analyze gene expression in the assayed cells.

Biology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Math

Dante

Early life experiences impact on mental health

Children and youth are at an influential age. Early life experiences such as family life, education, or adverse events can determine one's trajectory later in life. This project could review existing literature on what circumstances may impact mental health outcomes.

Neuroscience, Psychology, Literature

Sarah

Using research-based methods to support word and category learning

Children’s vocabulary rapidly expands during their preschool years. There are lots of factors that contribute to word and category learning, and many can be directly applied by the adults teaching them these new concepts. For this project, you will research the factors that facilitate children’s learning and create a learning opportunity (e.g., a book, podcast, experiment) that effectively utilizes these findings to successfully teach children new concepts. The project will culminate in a research paper detailing your proposal, how you plan to test it, what you expect to find.

Creative Writing, Cognitive

Amalia

Determining the Chemical Composition of the Crab Nebula through Astrophotography

Many images of objects in our universe are amazingly bright and colorful. But, is that how these objects would appear to the naked eye? Not exactly. The majority of our knowledge of the Universe is obtained from the light emitted by extraterrestrial objects. The light we receive from these objects hold information about the physical properties of the objects being observed. When scientists take photos of the universe, they utilize color filters to help define specific wavelengths of light. Through a process of colorizing, scientists can produce gorgeous pictures, but more importantly, valuable scientific information. In this project, we will use an observatory to take pictures of the Crab Nebula. Then, we will work to colorize the image, just like scientists at NASA! This will allow us to determine the relative chemical composition of the Nebula, which is valuable information for astronomers.

Psychology, Computer Science, Math, Cognitive

Kaitlin

Creative Writing

Apart from scientific work, I have ample experience with teaching and editing creative writing. Therefore, I am also open to mentoring projects involving creative writing in the form of poetry, essays, plays, and short stories, based on a topic of your choice.

Creative Writing, Cognitive

Amalia

School Environment & Well-Being

Idea #2: The Impact of School Environment on Student Well-Being: Analyze the role of the school environment in shaping student well-being and academic success. This study can focus on how relationships with peers, parents, and teachers contribute to students' psychological well-being and academic outcomes (Wijnia, 2021).

Cognitive

Nabila