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
Climate Impacts From A to Z
For this project, a mentee could choose a climate impact that they are interested in learning more about (ex: increased forest fires, sea level rise, melting glaciers, etc.) and conduct a study using publicly available data on the topic. Students can come up with questions about how this impact will affect a certain area, a certain industry, or a certain organism.
Environmental Science
Battles in the Biodiversity Arena: Wasps vs. Beetles
Beetles (Coleoptera) are known in entomology for their astounding diversity (approximately 1 in 4 animals species is a beetle!). However, some entomologists argue that because there are so many species-specific parasitic wasps, wasps (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) may actually be more diverse. What do you think?
Biology, Environmental Science
How can we help farmers adapt to climate change?
A project focused on the policy, structural, and technological changes that could help farmers prepare for climate change. This could involve a nutrition, gender, or racial justice focus, and could focus on a specific area or type of producer. Based on your interest this project could look at fisherman, smallholder farmers, urban farms, large food producers, or sustainable aquaculture/kelp producers.
History, Languages, Environmental Science, Social Science, Nutrition
Literature review or research paper on an environmental topic of your choice!
Say you were interested in how climate change impacts amphibians in the Northeast US. We could then work together to review and summarize the major findings in the scientific literature, paying attention to scientific writing skills.
Biology, History, Environmental Science
Do positive interactions help species' resilience to change?
A literature search of recent papers exploring how mutualistic interactions influence species' resilience under variable environmental conditions will be conducted. A student will take the results of this literature search and create and R shiny app, where users can explore patterns in the data from this literature search. For example, they can see if there is an increase in species' resilience to particular environmental stressors (heat, drought, etc.) or only in particular environments (marine, forests, desserts, etc.).
Environmental Science
Fact-checking Marine Media
We see so much information online, and most of it is presented as fact. But can we believe the Internet when it says blobfish don't have bones? (No, we can't, because they do have bones!) A student might pick a movie, species, or website to fact-check. They might choose to critique this media in the form of a presentation, infographic, social media campaign, or even a scientific research paper! Students will learn how to approach media critically and develop their research skills. They will also learn how to communicate their findings to others.
Biology, Environmental Science
Science art & other notes
I could also mentor a student interested in curating a science-art project. Some ideas I have include a project highlighting the ecological significance of phytoplankton (e.g., did you know they produce up to 50% of the world's oxygen?) or incorporating microscopy images of microbes in mixed media art. Overall, I would be glad to mentor any student with an idea for a project related to my expertise. Above are just some ideas that could be used as springboards for more specific projects.
Environmental Science
Agricultural development adaptation:
In this project you will learn about how agricultural processes are conducted in developing countries. As we look at things through the context of climate change, you will understand how certain agricultural strategies might become less viable in the future. You will be forced to think creatively and propose solutions to these problems. You will situate these possible solutions in the framework of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.
Environmental Science
Sexual Health Literacy among Low-income Minority Populations
There is a lack of sexual health education among low-income, minority populations, especially those with backgrounds of immigration or have a high prevalence of non-English speakers. How can we address this discrepancy and bridge that gap in sexual health knowledge, so that these communities can have equitable access to sexual health care?
Biology, Environmental Science, Public Health
Do protected areas work? Exploring long term species abundence before and after the implementation of a protected area.
Using fish data from the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Program, calculate biodiversity in an area of the Caribbean where a marine protected area was established. Does biodiversity increase after the implementation of the protected area?
Quantitative, Environmental Science, Social Science
Literature Review of Conservation Needs of Individual Species
A literature review would allow a student to gain experience in acquiring relevant peer-reviewed scientific articles. The individual would choose a species of their choice and explore different aspects of this species life history and ecology to determine its conservation status. I would work with this student to solidify a specific project goal (habitat use/needs, the role that climate change is playing in this species population projections, behavioral studies and how they impact conservation management). The goal of this research project would be to choose a topic related to conservation and explore existing information. I would then like the student to write a review on what is currently known about this topic, what needs to be expanded in order to learn more about this species and what the best ways to do that are. The student will gain experience in critical thinking by applying the knowledge they have gained reading existing literature to determine what more can be done.
Biology, Math, Environmental Science
Climate Adaptation Plan
Develop a plan for a city, county, state, or country to prepare for the changing climate and ensure strategies support equitable adaptation and resilience building.
Biology, Environmental Science, Social Science
Potential Solutions to Reduce the Environmental Footprint of My High School
Most of what we do as humans causes some effect on the environment. With the way we live now, our greenhouse-gas-emissions, water-use, and waste-creation (just to name a few) put an unhealthy strain on our environment. Fortunately, there are ways to calculate these metrics for a given place or process and later identify hotspot issues. From there, we can come up with action plans and more sustainable solutions. For this project, it is advised that the student start by identifying common streams of inputs and outputs at their school. For example, a student can note inputs like supplies, food, water and even energy sources like the gas for heating or school buses. Outputs like food waste, flushing toilets, and all those old homework papers can be noted, too. The student will attempt to quantify and analyze all these streams… especially focusing on potential hotspots like energy/CO2 emissions. Data may be available (monthly fuel for buses, building heating bills) or some data could be collected by the student (average portion of lunch food thrown away). The student should practice creating data tables and graphs, and most importantly, interpreting these results. Finally, the student should do thorough research to discover and present innovative solutions to reduce the environmental strain of their school. Most likely, there would be a written deliverable for this project; but, it could also be a great opportunity for the student to visually present this project to a principal, teachers, or school board. In summary, the student will gain knowledge about issues and solutions relating to environmental sustainability. In addition, the student will gain tangible skills in calculating environmental metrics, collecting data, and creating descriptive visuals like advanced graphs. The project can be altered to fit a student’s needs and interests.
Dance, Creative Writing, Environmental Science, Business
African rainfall and climate – responses to a warming world?
The various African monsoons are the primary water source for over 1 billion people, and it is therefore crucial to understand how rainfall might change due to projected anthropogenic warming. Evidence suggests that a host of environmental variables (ocean temperatures, wind directions / speeds, etc.) control continental precipitation on timescales ranging from the 20th century to millions of years.
Environmental Science
Science Communication and Outreach
For this project, the mentee would design a science communication initiative (a traveling exhibit, a picture book, a podcast, a website, etc.) to inform their target audience about science, an environmental issue, or an ecological or biological topic they are interested in.
Environmental Science
How to create a sustainable business
Review criteria for Environmental, Social, and Governance. Look at successful businesses with high scores and see how that could apply to new company.
Environmental Science, Healthcare, Public Health
How climate change can affect future distributions of rare species?
Climate change, such as global warming and longer drought, can threaten the existence of some of the rarest plants on earth. It is important to understand how future suitable habitats will change for these rare species so that we can target our conservation efforts in specific areas. In this project, you will identify a rare species that you like (it can be animals, plants, or fungi!), and gather the data online on its current occurrences. Then you will learn how to perform species distribution modeling to map its current and future suitable habitat areas. The changes in the amount or location of future suitable habitats can significantly affect the destiny of a rare species. By doing this project, you will not only learn skills in data analyses but also become the best ambassador for this rare species that you love. I hope that you can be vocal about species conservation by presenting your findings at society conferences, social media, etc.
Biology, Environmental Science
Microscopic friends for food
Our bodies carry one (!) bacterial cell for every human cell in our body. These little bugs support all kinds of essential processes, and it turns out, the soils we grow our food on are no different. In this project, we investigate how the native microbiome of different soils helps support happy and productive plants.
Biotech, Environmental Science
Writing a literature review
In this project, you will write a literature review on a topic of your choice. Topics could be anything related to food systems or food policy, from “the history of community gardens” to “how will we feed an ever expanding population?”. This process will teach you how to find, access, and critically analyze existing literature to identify gaps and overarching themes. You will gain skills in writing and editing, as well as an in-depth knowledge of your chosen research topic.
Environmental Science
Data Visualization for Hurricane Trends
There is a lot of interest in estimating how hurricanes are going to change in the future, and what trends have been like in the past. This project would involve reading some of the current research on hurricane trends and creating simple, legible visuals or infographics to help make that information more accessible to the general public.
Environmental Science, Statistics
