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
Creative Re-write
Literature is widely regarded as a mirror for life, reality, and society. What happens when the world mirrored in a text does not include you? Or includes a version of you that you do not identify with (and even take issue with)? Creative re-writes provide a platform for you to challenge and interrogate the assumptions and implications underlying a text. Together we can rewrite or create a scene from a text of choice in order to reflect, discuss, or explore something new.
Literature, Creative Writing, Social Science
What is the right thing to do?
In this project, we consider the famous 'Trolley Problem' in modern ethics and examine for ourselves what we should do, and why.
Philosophy, Creative Writing
Remotely Monitoring Visitation Behavior at Bird Feeders
Broadly, my students identify a question that excites them, explore published literature on that topic, design their own study to address a specific hypothesis, perform data collection and statistical analysis, and finally tell their story in a poster or slideshow presentation, and/or written essay. My ‘bread-and-butter’ is recording animal behavior at feeding stations using low-cost and accessible remote monitoring techniques. A high school student that I mentor recently completed a project which is a perfect example of an interdisciplinary STEAM project. She engineered a realistic-looking hummingbird feeder, tested and analyzed it’s efficacy compared to a control, secured a patent for and marketed her design, and is now in the process of preparing a manuscript for submission to a scientific journal. There are hundreds of possible variations of such a project, and I would be thrilled to guide your first research experience in any topic that you are passionate about! Question: Do hummingbirds prefer a classic artificial sugar-water feeder or a hyper-realistic feeder? Hypothesis: Hummingbirds prefer and exhibit more natural feeding behaviors at a hyper-realistic feeder because it mimics a natural flower. Methodology: 1. Set up two hummingbird feeders: one classic feeder (control), one custom engineered realistic-looking feeder (treatment). 2. Record video with remote monitoring IP camera for 2 hours at peak visitation times (sunset), for 5 days. 3. Score video with an ethogram (a behavior key) to determine average visitation frequency and average length of visitation. 4. Visualize data and perform appropriate statistical analyses in R or Excel to assess hypotheses. (for more information on this project please see ebertser.wixsite.com/erich-eberts/research) Similar bird feeder/ remote monitoring questions: -How does visitation at bird feeders change throughout the day, or in different seasons? -Do hummingbirds prefer feeders with floral scent? -How does the diversity of visitors at bird feeders in two distinct locations (i.e. one in an open yard vs on the edge of the yard, or two different geographical locations)? -How does an artificial decoy alter visitor behavior at a bird feeder?
Biology, Creative Writing, Environmental Science
Spanish and How it Got that Way
In 711 C.E. the Arabic-speaking Umayyad dynasty began their conquest of the Iberian peninsula, now present-day Spain and Portugal. During this time, there was over 800 years of Arab cultural and linguistic influence on the region. Today, over 4,000 Spanish words derive their origins from Arabic. Students can explore the influence of Arabic on Spanish through the lens of historical linguistics.
Literature, Languages, Creative Writing, Linguistics, Social Science
How should we live the Good Life?
Outside of religion, ethicists often draw upon philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Mill for prescriptions on how to live a good life. However, can we still use their frameworks on how to live morally in a society where we have limited choice whether it be when dealing with transportation, school systems, or agriculture? As consumers, how responsible are we for the infractions of companies that often dominate the market? (If you liked watching the Good Place, think of Doug Forcett.) This would involve an analysis of 2-3 philosophers and their applicability to modern day as well as the potential for coming up with your own philosophical doctrine!
Philosophy, History, Economics, Creative Writing, Social Science
DNA Poetry Book
DNA is helical, stable, ubiquitous, generous, replicative... There are many things about DNA to know and to marvel about. The deeper one dives into the varied aspects of DNA, ones' wonder and appreciation for the molecule can reach greater heights. This project entails making a book of poems (12-24) on different topics of DNA. A few suggestions of the different DNA topics include: its historical discovery, DNA's different structural properties and organization, mitosis, meiosis, inheritance, cell-free DNA, sequencing and genomics, natural variation and evolution, disease, DNA repeats, extrachromosomal circular DNA, mitochondrial DNA, enhancers, centromeres, telomeres, DNA replication and repair, epigenetics (beyond the DNA), etc. If you can, find a typewriter for creating the final drafts and bind the book together using online tutorials as a guide.
Biology, Creative Writing
A Collection of Poems
My student wrote and edited a collection of poems (which he then used to send alongside his college applications).
History, Creative Writing
Becoming me
Identity development is an ongoing process of recognizing and developing our beliefs about our race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability status, or other aspects of our identity. It is influenced by the people around us, as well as what society thinks of people with our identities. We can develop a project to learn about a group of people who share a common identity (bisexual individuals, transgender men, Black women, individuals with disabilities). What do they think about their identity? Who influenced their perception of their identity? What does society think of people like them? How comfortable or happy are they with having this identity?
Social, Psychology, Creative Writing, Social Science
Stanford Rebuild | COVID-19 Response in Prisons
How has COVID-19 impacted the prison space and the lives of incarcerated individuals? What has happened to formerly incarcerated individuals during this pandemic and how should we be thinking about this as a society? Would want to focus on clearly quantifiable sources of impact in addition to opinion-led thinking here.
Creative Writing, Business
Hercules: The Essence of a Hero
This project would look at film representations of the iconic Greco-Roman hero — including the Disney animated movie! — and compare these representations to the hero's origins in classical mythology and literature. The "essence" of the hero in myth would be framed against what is found in the cinematic Hercules, using both close reading of ancient texts and detailed film analysis. Differences might reflect the ways in which modern societies have redefined the concept of a hero, and show how classical literature can shape the modern world.
Literature, Languages, Creative Writing
Mentorship for a Work Already in Progress
Do you already have a project you are passionate about and need help finishing, or figuring out the next steps? If so, I would love to be your mentor!
Music, Creative Writing, Illustration
The Art of Travel Writing
Sometimes experiencing something for yourself just isn't enough, you want to get it down and share it with others. The art of travel writing is about (re)capturing the spirit of adventure, and moving others to do the same. We will explore the possibilities of travel writing and its various forms, including: articles, journals, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and whatever else.
Creative Writing
Caring in an Unsettling World
In recent years, the field of anthropology has produced a comprehensive body of work focused upon the issue of care. Evidence from various anthropological sites shows how care is a resource, relation, and a practice that touches upon the intimate and familial, as well as the economic and the political. Care is contextual and specific, a polysemic concept emerging from the connections between macroforces and microprocesses (Buch 2015). As a practice, it “connotes some kind of engagement” (Tronto 1993), one intended to be, above all, restorative and world-building. Yet, after years of facing a global pandemic that has exacerbated the social, political, environmental, and economic instability, one cannot help but ask how we are to care in a world that seems to be falling apart. What does care look like in a society pierced by precarity, illness, pervasive racism, environmental destruction, and faltering democracy? Can we care? How do we do it? You can write an essay that reflects on this topics and aims to answer to this question.
Literature, Photography, Creative Writing
Traveling through geologic time
How has your town, or another location of interest, changed through geologic time? What did it look like at the last glacial maximum, or back in the carboniferous period? In this project, you'll learn to read scientific literature and interpret maps to develop a greater understanding of earth history. You can get creative with the output for this one, designing a webpage or scientific poster on the topic.
Creative Writing, Environmental Science
The Body as Border: How Geopolitics Govern Gender Performance in Cristina Rivera Garza's The Iliac Crest
In Cristina Rivera Garza’s The Iliac Crest, a nameless narrator’s home is usurped when he is visited by Mexican horror-surrealist writer Amparo Dávila. Tasked with helping her find a stolen manuscript, the narrator experiences gender dysphoria as he travels between North and South City, searching for the manuscript and way to rid himself of Dávila. How does gender presentation determine how the narrator navigates the border and national identity? Following the border crossing, the narrator’s feelings towards Dávila, his job at a border sanatorium, and his relationship to his body change. Which privileges and disadvantages are assigned to the narrator’s individual gender identities after this moment, how do they determine his feelings, and what does this say about the relationship between the United States and the Global South? This research paper and conference presentation will explore how geopolitics determine gender norms by using literary criticism, textual analysis of The Iliac Crest, close-reading of Amparo Dávila’s use of horror tropes in her own fiction, applying José Esteban Muñoz’s queer theory from his work in The Sense of Brown, and archival work on border relations between the United States and Mexico.
Creative Writing, Social Science
Solo Performance/Acting Monologues
Creating a solo piece of video, theatre or performance art based on a conceptual idea that explores a personal, social or political subject. The process of the project can be based in writing or on research into any type of source material. This type of project could be helpful to anyone wanting to audition, build an artistic portfolio or applying for grants and scholarships or fellowship in film, theatre, performance or new media arts.
Dance, Photography, Creative Writing
Crafting your art portfolio
Are you an artist, filmmaker or creative writer looking to build an art portfolio or website for your college application? I am happy to work with you to reflect on the work you have made and brainstorm visions for future creations. Together, we can think about the patterns and stories within your art and what inspires you as an artist and person in the world. Through various prompts and exercises, we will explore how you can write about your art and create a carefully-crafted portfolio to share this vision with others.
Arts, Literature, Creative Writing
Crypto Case Study | In-Depth Market Research on Crypto-currency Businesses
Research financially-oriented crypto businesses across the world. I'm looking for someone who can help me build a deeper understanding of the landscape, and who's capable of putting together detailed information on particular organizations/companies within this space. Especially now as crypto is on the downturn, there could be significant opportunity along the way.
Creative Writing, Business
Conduct a Qualitative Study
While quantitative studies provide important information about population level differences, qualitative studies allow us to understand psychological processes with more detail and specificity. Qualitative studies use methods such as interviews, observation, and focus groups to collect data, and can be a rewarding way to examine processes of interest.
Philosophy, Psychology, Creative Writing
Creating Your Own Chapbook or Literary Magazine
Have you ever wanted to create your own collection of poetry or short stories? What about running your own literary magazine? Either of these are fantastic projects that can allow you the freedom and excitement of creating original work and/or collecting and editing work from others. In the first style of project, a chapbook, you would be encouraged to come up with an overall theme and then create a collection of poems and/or stories to arrange in your own self-published work. You might also look into traditional publishing and even learn about how to write query letters to propose your book. You can choose to build on work you've done previously, or you can start fresh. This is the type of project that will appeal to those who are highly creative but who need some assistance from someone with experience in arranging works for flow after revising them. You can choose either a traditional publishing option if you want to leave the project open-ended (since in a typical Polygence mentorship there would not be enough time to secure a traditional publisher) or you can work through the process of self-publishing, which might also include a bit of instruction on techniques of marketing via social media. The second option, if your inclinations lie more towards editorial work, is to create your own literary magazine. You might still choose to include a work of your own in the collection, and you'd likely write an introductory essay as the editor, but the rest of your project would entail creating a concept for a magazine, setting up a call for submissions, and then advertising your call to either people at your high school or even beyond. As submissions come in, you would then read and evaluate them for suitability in your magazine. You would arrange the pieces you've chosen, edit them, and either self-publish and/or electronically publish. You would also learn about marketing this kind of publication. Both of these projects would be excellent choices for someone interested in literature, editorial work, publication, and social media marketing.
Literature, Creative Writing
