The Project part of the Senior Project experience is where students create an original artifact in reaction to their research. The project should be deeply connected to the work done in Research and Writing and should captivate both the student and the viewer. Most senior projects fall into one of four categories:
- Interactive Project– students create a tangible item(s) in reaction to their research.
- Film– students create a short film in reaction to their research. The film can be a documentary, a creative original, an artistic interpretation or another type of film.
- Academic Presentation– students conduct additional research and create an academic object such as an advanced paper, book, model or pamphlet and present it along with their research in a live short presentation (less than 5 minutes).
- Community Involvement – Students volunteer their time to a single organization or project and complete something outside the scope of normal volunteering. Students could also organize an event for the community.
It is difficult to describe what makes a good senior project due to the fact that they are all so very different from each other. In general, the best senior projects create something original, or do something new and are deeply personal and important to the student. Although it is hard to explain what makes a good project, it is much easier to give examples of good and bad projects. With that in mind the following table gives examples of projects for each of the four categories:
| Category | Good Examples | Bad Examples |
| Interactive Project | A cookbook that includes original recipes based on a specific diet or subculture | a cookbook that included copies of other recipes from the internet |
| Design and build a robot that can perform a specific needed task | Build a robot or helicopter from a pre-fabricated kit | |
| Preform/Present an original piece of music or art that is part of a larger set work | Create a mix tape of pre-existing music that represents a feeling or is meant for a certain task | |
| Create your own line of fashion and produce at least one look | Put together different fashion looks based on purchased items | |
| A prototype of a new design for a football helmet that could make players more safe | A website that highlights the importance of people being safe when playing sports | |
| A children’s book that helps kids feel better about math at a young age | Creating a book of different pictures you took that have no deeper meaning | |
| Creating your own board game from scratch | Play different video games and decide which one is the best | |
| A workshop for young girls and their mothers to promote positive body image | Creating a pamphlet about body image | |
| Film | A documentary showing the inside story of adolescent depression that interviews many people including experts | A documentary that only shows one opinion or does not interview many people |
| A music video for an original piece of music | A video that shows people dancing to different pieces of music | |
| A series of ‘how-to’ videos that helps people improve a certain part of their life. | A documentary about sports, when your research paper had nothing to do with sports | |
| An artistic interpretation that tells the story of the research you conducted | A video of you talking into a camera about whatever you feel like | |
| Academic Project | Conduct a survey or experiment in which you form a hypothesis and prove it through rigorous data analysis (must have a sample size of at least 30) and present your findings in a talk. | A survey or experiment that does not prove anything or only involves 10-15 people and you present your findings on a poster |
| Write a translation of an ancient text into modern language and present a side by side reading of an excerpt | Write a story that no one will actually read or remember outside of the project | |
| Create an evolutionary tree of deep ocean creatures and deliver it in an engaging ‘TED talk’ | Make a power point presentation about your project and read off the slides | |
| Community Involvement | Run an afterschool dance class for young girls and put on a recital | Volunteer at a local elementary school helping watch kids after school |
| Organize a fundraiser and a 5k run/walk to raise money and awareness for a specific cause | Help a friend or relative with their work | |
| Volunteer at a homeless shelter and organize a school supply drive for the children who live there | Participate in a volunteer day at a shelter |
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