While general Internet search seems to be locked up by Google et al. there are still opportunities for specialized search engines. Octopart is a good example that many here are familiar with. In what other areas are there things that people want to find that are not as easy as they should be?
I am asking because I am currently in a college senior design class. We were initially thinking along the lines of a product search engine but found that pricegrabber appears to have covered a wide swarth of territory. For the class that doesn't matter what our search engine is for but making the project something new that could matter would make everything so more interesting and enjoyable.
Of course if someone else sees a good idea and runs with it, best of luck to you!