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Browse project ideas by Polygence mentors
How Does Cognition Differ Between Alzheimer's Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) affect memory, behavior, and cognition in distinct ways. This project would use data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC), a large, publicly accessible database, to compare cognitive performance between patients with Alzheimer's disease and those with FTD. Students would learn to navigate a real clinical dataset, select relevant variables, and run simple statistical comparisons (like a t-test) to see how the two groups differ on specific cognitive measures. Students could write up their findings as a research paper or develop a science fair presentation.
Statistics, Psychology, Cognitive, Healthcare
The Chemistry of Everyday Products
Explore the science behind an everyday product, such as sunscreen, cosmetics, cleaning products, food preservatives, or batteries. Research the chemical ingredients and reactions that make the product work, while also considering factors such as safety, environmental impact, cost, and performance. Compare different formulations or approaches and investigate how scientific research has influenced the development of newer or more sustainable alternatives. Present your findings in a format that makes the chemistry accessible and relevant to a general audience.
Cancer, Math, Chemistry
Chemistry Behind Medical Diagnosis and Disease Detection
Explore how chemistry is being used to improve medical diagnosis and disease detection. Investigate a specific diagnostic technology, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and research how scientists design molecules or materials that help detect biological changes associated with disease. The experience could involve reviewing scientific literature, comparing different diagnostic approaches, and developing a presentation that explains the science in a way that is accessible to a general audience. Through this work, you can explore the intersection of chemistry, biology, and medicine while developing research, critical-thinking, and science communication skills.
Cancer, Math, Chemistry
Understanding and Improving Concussion Reporting Among High School Athletes
Concussions are common in youth sports, but many athletes don't report their symptoms due to fear of losing playing time, uncertainty about what counts as a symptom, or team culture. This project would explore what drives concussion reporting among high school athletes. Students could design a short, anonymous survey on concussion knowledge, reporting likelihood, and barriers to reporting. Students could write up their findings as a research paper or translate their results into something directly useful for athletes, like an infographic or "know the signs" guide.
Statistics, Psychology, Cognitive, Healthcare
From DNA to RNA: How Epigenetic Regulation Controls Gene Expression
How does a cell decide which genes to turn on or off? In this project, you will explore how epigenetic mechanisms regulate gene expression and how these processes influence neuronal function. You could investigate the relationship between DNA methylation, chromatin structure, transcription, and RNA production, with a particular focus on RNA biology and non-coding RNAs in the brain. Depending on your interests, the project could focus on a specific biological process, brain region, or neurological condition and could culminate in a focused literature review, scientific research paper, or research proposal describing a hypothesis and experimental approach. Keywords: epigenetics, epigenomics, gene regulation, gene expression, molecular biology, RNA biology, non-coding RNA, transcription, DNA methylation, chromatin, neuroscience, neurobiology, experimental design.
Biology
From Genes to Brain Disease: How Epigenetic Dysregulation Contributes to Neurodegeneration
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease arise from complex interactions between genetics, aging, environment, and changes in brain cells. In this project, you will investigate how alterations in epigenetic regulation and gene expression may contribute to neurodegeneration. You could choose one disease and explore changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin accessibility, or non-coding RNA regulation in affected brain regions. The project could result in a focused literature review comparing findings across studies, an analysis of publicly available genomic or transcriptomic datasets, or a research proposal exploring whether an epigenetic mechanism could serve as a potential biomarker or therapeutic target. Keywords: neuroscience, neurodegeneration, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epigenetics, epigenomics, DNA methylation, chromatin, gene regulation, non-coding RNA, transcriptomics, genomics, biomarkers, therapeutics.
Biology
The effects of sepsis in the brain (beginner research paper)
This project explores how a severe systemic infection such as sepsis can affect the brain during illness and recovery. Students will learn about neuroinflammation, immune-brain communication, the blood-brain barrier, and how factors such as aging may influence neurological outcomes following systemic infection. They will also develop skills in scientific literature searching, critical analysis, data interpretation, and scientific communication. The student will identify and evaluate scientific literature related to sepsis-associated brain dysfunction and long-term neurological outcomes. Depending on the student's interests, they may focus on a specific topic such as microglial activation, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, cognitive impairment, or aging. Students may also examine a small, curated set of transcriptomic findings to learn how changes in gene expression can be connected to biological mechanisms. Potential final products include a scientific research paper, literature review, research proposal, scientific poster, or science communication article about the effects of sepsis on the brain.
Neuroscience, Psychology
Research Paper/Podcast: How Trauma Manifests Itself in the Courtroom
This project would explore the relationship between trauma, criminal behavior, and the legal system. You could research how trauma influences behavior, how it is presented in the courtroom, and how the justice system responds to individuals with traumatic experiences. You could also examine the sociological effects of criminal behavior, including courtroom procedures, sentencing, incarceration, and recidivism. You could present their research through a research paper, podcast, or both. For example, they could investigate whether childhood trauma contributes to criminal behavior and recidivism, analyze how trauma is considered during sentencing, or examine a real court case involving trauma.
Social
5. Bio-Inspired Atmospheric Vacuum Pump for Low-Energy Groundwater Extraction
This project lets students explore a biomimicry-inspired approach to a real-world water scarcity problem. Students will investigate how tall trees and plants draw water upward through negative pressure (transpiration pull) and translate that principle into a low-cost, low-tech vacuum pump design for pulling groundwater to the surface, learning fundamentals of atmospheric pressure, fluid dynamics, and pump mechanics along the way. The research process involves studying the biological mechanism behind plant water transport, reviewing existing manual/vacuum-based pump designs, building a prototype from accessible materials based on open-source tutorials, and testing its ability to draw water from varying depths and flow rates. The expected outcome is a working prototype paired with a written report or publication documenting the design rationale, build process, and performance data — with an option to also produce a short explainer video connecting the biomimicry concept to the engineering solution for a broader audience!
AI/ML
4. DIY Solar Parabolic Cooker Build and Evaluation
In this project, students are introduced to concentrated solar power and solar energy applications through a DIY, hands-on, low-cost device. Students will design and construct a parabolic solar cooker from low-cost, accessible materials, learning the basics of solar geometry (angle of incidence, focal point calculations), reflective material selection, and heat transfer principles. The research process involves reviewing existing parabolic cooker designs/approaches, building and refining a prototype based on existing tutorials, and running structured tests to evaluate performance (e.g., time to boil water, max temperature reached, cooking time for different foods) across different conditions like time of day or cloud cover. Depending on the student's interest, the final output can be a demonstration video showing the build process and cooking tests in action, or a written report/publication documenting the design iterations, testing methodology, and performance results.
AI/ML