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Browse project ideas by Polygence mentors
Engineering Physics — Building a DIY Heat Engine Model
Field of Expertise: Thermodynamics and mechanical systems. What Students Will Learn: How engines convert heat into motion and how efficiency is measured. Process: Students research different types of engines (Stirling, steam, internal combustion) and build or model a small-scale heat engine using simple materials or simulations. Student Outcomes: A prototype or simulation with an accompanying technical explanation of how energy is transformed.
AI/ML, Math, Physics
Mechanical Systems — Smarter Energy Storage
Field of Expertise: Renewable energy and mechanical design. What Students Will Learn: The principles of energy conversion and storage (mechanical, thermal, or electrical). Process: Students research how batteries, flywheels, or compressed air systems store energy and propose an innovative or improved concept for small-scale renewable storage. Student Outcomes: A technical concept report, sketch, or 3D model illustrating their proposed solution.
AI/ML, Math, Physics
Mathematics & AI — Predicting the Future with Data
Field of Expertise: Mathematical modeling and machine learning. What Students Will Learn: How data patterns can be used to make predictions. Process: Students collect simple datasets (like local temperature trends, sports stats, or school performance data) and use basic regression or online AI tools to make short-term predictions. They analyze uncertainty and data limitations. Student Outcomes: A research paper or visual dashboard explaining their model, predictions, and insights.
AI/ML, Math, Physics
Harnessing Big Ideas: Teaching Through Storytelling
How can a complicated idea, like a new science discovery, a moment in history, or an important social value, become easy to understand? In this project, you’ll take on the role of storyteller and designer, writing and illustrating a children’s book that both educates and entertains. You’ll practice the craft of storytelling, visual communication, and simplifying complex concepts for the audience of your choosing. By the end, you’ll have a polished book in your hands that highlights empathy, imagination, and your ability to make complex concepts understandable.
Neuroscience
Decoding Cognition: A Journey into Neuroscience, Technology & Society
How do the inventions we create also rewire our brains? From maps to AI—every tool we invent changes how we see the world. This project looks at how people design technologies and how those tools reshape the way we see time, space, and value. Along the way, you’ll practice advanced research and writing skills while building a deeper understanding of how brains and technologies co-evolve within society. By the end, you’ll have a strong researched paper that showcases your strong ability to synthesize an argument examining neuroscience, human-computer interaction and its influence on society.
Neuroscience
Future Builders: Where Human Design Meets AI
How can we design intelligent applications that genuinely understand and enhance human experience, blending cutting-edge AI with intuitive human-centered design? In this project, you’ll step into the role of an AI-powered product designer. Build and design a prototype app while learning how to combine human-centered design with AI tools. In this project, you’ll explore how creativity and technology work together, gaining both technical knowledge (like prototyping and usability testing) and design thinking skills. Along the way, you’ll gain hands-on skills in creativity, problem-solving, and technical app development. Finally, you’ll have a functional prototype to showcase your ideas and ability to shape the future of technology.
Neuroscience
Unconscious, Subconscious, and Conscious: Clarifying the Differences
Conduct a literature review and design a small behavioral experiment to explore the distinctions between unconscious, subconscious, and conscious processing. The project will focus on how these terms are used in psychology and neuroscience, with an emphasis on emotional perception tasks (e.g., masked faces or subliminal stimuli). The student will create a clear framework for how these levels of processing differ, and test whether emotional cues presented below awareness still influence behavior.
Philosophy, Neuroscience, Biology, Computer Science, Cognitive
The Effect of Rapid Scrolling on Attention and the Brain
This project explores whether rapid scrolling through short-form videos (e.g., TikTok-style clips) impacts sustained attention. Students will review the current literature on this topic. And then students could create a literature review, an Op-Ed, or slides to present their research.
Philosophy, Neuroscience, Biology, Computer Science, Cognitive
Interoceptive Signals and Emotional Awareness
This project investigates how subtle bodily signals (like heart rate changes or skin conductance) influence our conscious awareness of emotional stimuli. The goal is to explore whether physiological changes can predict when an emotion “breaks through” into conscious awareness. This could culminate in a paper, essay, or presentation.
Philosophy, Neuroscience, Biology, Computer Science, Cognitive
Environmental Standards in Chinese-Financed Infrastructure Projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
The Chinese government has made massive investments in financing infrastructure projects overseas, particularly in the developing world and through the Belt and Road Initiative. This project would explore how environmental considerations are addressed and how environmental standards are applied in Chinese-financed infrastructure projects abroad. A student could select a small sample of projects (e.g., one in Southeast Asia, one in Africa, and one in Latin America) using publicly available databases such as AidData, the Boston University Global Development Policy Center Chinese Overseas Development Finance Dataset, or news archives. The analysis could focus on whether Chinese-financed projects align with or differ from other development agencies in referencing international environmental standards, how host-country regulations shaped implementation, and whether any controversies or protests arose. The project would give students practice in cross-case comparison, familiarize them with real-world international political economy cases (i.e., Chinese presence in the developing world) with significant policy implications, and provide experience working with open-source datasets.
Quantitative
