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
Developing a new method of measuring multiraciality
Have you ever wondered what happens to data collected from participants who check the box "Multi-racial" when asked about their race or ethnicity? In most cases, those data points are discarded, because we currently lack a reliable and effective method of analyzing racial-ethnic differences among multiracial individuals. This project proposes a new statistical analysis method that potentially allows us to find unique and groundbreaking insights into the collection and measurement of multiracial data.
Psychology, Business, Statistics, Organizational Leadership
Real Effects of Environmental Disclosures
An important strain of accounting research examines whether accounting has "real effects". For example, researchers may investigate whether accounting regulations affect firms' investment decisions, employees' career decisions or consumers' purchasing decisions. Many accounting regulations require firms to disclose additional information about their operations in the financial statements. For this reason, accounting researchers are particularly interested in the real effects of disclosures. Recently, Google started disclosing the carbon dioxide emissions for flights in its search engine results, as well as whether those emissions are above or below average for a flight with that departure airport and destination. In this research project, I examine whether this environmental disclosure effects individual's flight choices.
Quantitative, Business, Organizational Leadership
DEI in the Workplace
Diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforces drive better business outcomes for organizations. While many organizations have aspired to these goals, progress has been slow. Many are now working to make the necessary changes that create safe and inclusive spaces. Create a strategy that meaningfully builds a workforce that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Business, Organizational Leadership
Food and food systems
Exploring the process of how your food gets to your table and the different political and social factors that contribute to food insecurity.
Arts, Social Science, Nutrition, Public Health, Organizational Leadership
Explore your family's global history: Family ancestry & migration project
Students would have the opportunity to research their own family's history, using public historical databases, and create an artistic representation of their lineage (collage, Prezi, graphic design, etc.). Students could focus on learning more about each country and city where their family lived, including art, culture and traditions. They also could focus on interviewing family members and recording stories and tales that have been passed through their family for generations. This project is very flexible and would be adapted to each student, depending on their family's history and their level of connection to family knowledge.
Psychology, Arts, History, Literature, Social Science, Organizational Leadership
Researching the Application of the 4th Amendment in the Criminal Justice System
This project can focus on investigating how the 4th Amendment is applied in different circuit courts. The student would conduct legal research and draft a paper with findings on the issue. The paper could potentially be published in a research journal.
Psychiatry, Social, Psychology, Philanthropy, Business, Organizational Leadership
What's unique about your neighborhood? Creating a neighborhood based art history project
Students would create a project based on their neighborhood, and the history, communities and cultures that exist there. This project would involve researching the demographics of their community, and potentially reaching out to different community organizations to find out more about them and their cultures. It also would involve researching the history of their neighborhood, from what indigenous people occupied the land to more recent social and political history. Then, students would create an art history project, that could be featured as a public event/ exhibit / public mural in their neighborhood. This project would be adapted to every student's geographical location, neighborhood and community and is open to creative interpretation.
Psychology, Arts, History, Literature, Social Science, Organizational Leadership
A Policy Memo Related to K-12 or Higher Education Issues
In this project, you will write a policy memorandum to your Congressional representative on an issue of your choice related to K-12 education or higher education. While there are many types of memoranda or “memos” in policy writing, your goal is to both inform the audience, and express a specific point of view backed by evidence. Topics could range from addressing gun violence in schools to the college student debt crisis. This process will teach you how to argue a point of view and support your position with evidence. Meanwhile, you will gain skills in identifying policy writing research sources, writing and editing, as well as in-depth knowledge of your chosen research topic.
Organizational Leadership
Exploring Local Agricultural Systems
Let's research how food gets to your plate and the impact of global and local agricultural systems. This research slide deck will allow you to communicate food systems impacts to an audience of peers. To build this presentation, you'll explore research papers but also interview local food systems advocates in local government and from farms in your area. This is a great way to learn about something we encounter multiple times a day (food!) that has deep global impacts that are often not obvious. This is a great project for anyone interested in food, the environment, or policy.
Business, Organizational Leadership
NBA Analysis Using Tableau/PowerBI
Loading and cleaning data in either platform and working through the different steps to visualize the data such as who leads the leagues in assist, points, top scorers of each position etc..
Sports Analytics, Business, Organizational Leadership
Designing a Hydroponics System
In this project, you will research and choose the type of hydroponics system (aquaponics, aeroponics, traditional, etc) that is the best fit for the environment and circumstances of your choosing. You will determine the constraints and calculate flow rates, timing, nutrition, and discover the best types of plants to grow that will give you a certain yield. With your calculations you can design the system in a 3D modelling platform like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or NX (and maybe even build it for your home!). Create a system that can provide food for communities year-round!
Physics, Engineering, Chemistry, Math, Organizational Leadership
Impacts of Conflict
In this project, we will analyze a region of conflict (i.e. - Balkans, Ukraine, Nigeria, etc.) and understand U.S. or international policy in that region. What are the root causes of the conflict? What are the drivers of instability? What are the impacts of the conflict? How should the U.S./international community address the conflict? The goal of this project is to produce a paper or presentation that provides an analysis of the conflict and provides lessons-learned or recommendations for U.S. Foreign Policy.
Social Science, Organizational Leadership
Launching a Media Brand
Building a media brand is a great way to garner visibility around your ideas an passions. Creating podcasts, blogs, and videos is a fun and fulfilling way to dig deeper into your interests, gives structure to learning in a creative way, and builds a portfolio to easily communicate your passion with others (including future employers and university admissions). For this project, we'll begin by studying some excellent examples of educational digital media and discussing how and why they are successful. From there, you will build a proposal for a media project and actually launch on at least one platform.
Business, Organizational Leadership
Product management 101
Learn product management fundamentals and industry best practices, especially in the software industry. Learn how to identify customer requirements, define MVP and create a roadmap that delights your customers, build strategies for monetization, go-to-market, and growth. Also, build an understanding of what success for your product looks like and how/what data to use to understand the state of your business at any point in time.
Business, Organizational Leadership
Music evolution through the decades: Analyzing the history of your favorite music genre
Students could pick their favorite genre of music, for example Hip-Hop, Jazz, Rap, RnB, etc., and learn about the history of this genre, including key artists who influenced the genre, cities where the genre was developed, and different styles and phases the genre went through. Students could analyze different societal factors, like political climate, racial tension and community structures, that impacted music production during each time period. The student would have the opportunity to pick the genre, decide what elements of the genre to focus on analyzing, and put their research together in a unique artistic representation (website, blog, social media account, collage).
Psychology, Arts, History, Literature, Social Science, Organizational Leadership
Freedom of Information
Using freedom of information (FOI) requests, uncover and share information currently unknown by the public. Work to develop a compelling story and deliver it to those whose lives would be improved by this knowledge. Learn to file FOI requests, develop an understanding of local, state, and/or federal government transparency procedures and current obstacles to obtaining information. Establish routines and benchmarks for high-quality writing and compelling story crafting. Understand the mechanisms that allow for stories to have a positive impact.
Philanthropy, Organizational Leadership
What happened to the largest company in the world? The Dutch East India Trading Company
Scholarly paper discussing the fall and demise of one of the largest companies in the world, the Dutch East India Trading Company. The goal of the history paper a student writes is for self fulfillment, for learning, and to submit and be published in the Concord Review. -Hypothesis led approach to writing -Originating primary and secondary sources -Translating primary and secondary sources -Academic citations -Analysis of sources
Finance, Organizational Leadership
Meeting Room Reservation System
The application would allow users to view available, in use, and reserved rooms, as well as allow them to make, modify or cancel a reservation
Organizational Leadership
Leadership and Organization Change - Entrepreneurship - Managing International Cross-Cultural Large Teams
In this project, you will write a business plan on a topic of your choice. Topics could range from anywhere within your entrepreneurship interests. We will have a 2, 5, & 7 year working strategy to grow, recruit, and expand. In this project you will gain skills in identifying key aspects to starting your own business. Plus form a broader perspective through my experience and learn more about effectively managing large teams from different regions of the world. Streamline processes where raw material, production, R&D, marketing & sales are happening in different countries. We will understand the inner dynamics and strategy of team building and motivation triggers.
Business, Organizational Leadership
Mental Health Career (or Startup)
Brainstorm potential careers in the mental health space or help with the early stages of a mental health startup, both in the for profit and in the nonprofit world. By the end of the project, students will be able to (i) make a career choice and understand the potential avenues to work with mental health; or (ii) start their own venture in mental health.
Philanthropy, Business, Organizational Leadership
