Suggestiona' Projecta'

Industrial

Interesting

PhysicsGUI. Make a GUI package (which fits into the Java event etc. model) like Swing, such that the GUI components have a nature like effect. For example if you press a button it gives a bouncy effect as if you pressed a rubber ball. A drop down list has a sort of 'hanging' effect (like a water ballon). Two buttons close to each other may have a 'magnetic effect'. A still panel may give a ripple or shaking effect. You could think of some other theme as well. This sort of idea is being worked on. If you can make a package which is asthetically appealing, you might set a standard.

Make a web development tool + Application Server, for easy web development. Imagine you make interfaces, bind text boxes to data objects (like in visual basic), specify which form is to come next upon pressing a button, and all this is converted to web pages and popular backend scripts (like servlets, ASP or JSP). Connectivity to common databases. Download IBM's web sphere / Oracle Web DB, NetDynamic etc as examples.

MacroMedia's Flash(download) is a neat tool for web animations. And its almost simple to use as Paintbrush (need to take the tutorial). It generates flash files for an animation. To play the animation you have to download a flash plugin for the browser. Make your own animation composer which generates you own file for the animation and develop an applet which reads that file  and display the animation.
Motive -  Why have another technolgy when Java  is there for the web?
Sites using flash navacron dimension

Could turn the admission/application process of LUMS web based.  Online credit card fee processing, Admisnistration interfaces etc.

Look at WebDuniya. Use cool/cool123 to login. An web emailing site in for all Inidian langs. Wish there was something as good as that for Urdu. Work has been done on for Urdu. But havent seen it so neat as that.

Get an account on geocities. Use their PageBuilder (with which this page was made). Beat that!

Could make a java package for e-commerce for java servlets or Java Server Pages, for common functionalities for  carts,  ease up the session handling coding . These technologies already have session objects for these purposes, but you may write a layer above them.

Research Type

Generally the best idea for research type with coding projects, is to look for Specs for some standard or product. Some of the specs already worked on by previous years are ATM (cbr, abr etc), Java Virtual Machine 1.0, Frame Relay.  Could implememt partially, specs for Corba, Messaging Servers (like Microsoft Messagind and Queing Server or Java Messaging Server). You'll have to search for these specs. Could  work on Specs for XML (Extensive Markup Language, the future of web).