Science is everywhere -- even in the unknown.

Penn State's Paranormal Research Society (PRS) is getting set to host its third annual Paranormal Conference (UNIV-CON), but many students may not be aware of the science used in paranormal research.

Ryan Buell (senior-journalism), director of PRS, described this year's conference as the organization's most ambitious yet.

The main guests of this year's UNIV-CON will be The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), which is featured on the Sci-Fi Channel's series Ghost Hunters, and psychic Carla Baron.

The first speakers at the conference will be two parapsychologists, David Lindsay and Dean Radin, at 8 and 9 p.m. Friday in HUB Heritage Hall, Buell said.

"They get into the mental end of things," he said.

Since PRS does not have a well-established parapsychology department, Matt Ritsko, PRS associate director and field investigation research director, said he thinks this will be an interesting event to attend.

Parapsychology is the study of paranormal activity in a controlled environment, Buell said.

Buell and Eilfie Music, a State College resident and member of PRS, said PRS most recently investigated a case at a Pittsburgh residence earlier this month.

Tenants reported furniture moving into the center of the room, popping sounds, stomping noises on the steps and even the choking of a resident, Music and Buell said.

To investigate claims of paranormal activity, PRS members use various types of equipment, such as audio recorders and night-vision cameras, Music and Buell said.

Night-vision cameras are set up to record any visual phenomena that might occur, Buell said.

During the Pittsburgh investigation, while Buell and another colleague were in the basement setting up cameras, they heard a loud bang from upstairs, he said.

Most of the time, Buell said, they do not find actual paranormal activity to justify people's claims in cases like this. But "this is not a typical case," he said; this time, PRS members found evidence.

Music said she was upstairs in the kitchen where the sound originated.

She said she was talking in a group in the kitchen when they heard the popping sounds. If they asked it to pop once or twice, it did, she said.

They analyzed the sounds using a special software and found that the loud pops were from a large burst of energy, Buell said.

The basic theory is that spirits possess energy, he said. This theory falls into the theory of the First Law of Thermodynamics -- that energy is neither created nor destroyed, Buell said.

Buell said he believes the energy they recorded is from a spirit making noise.

Spirits can give off their energy in other forms as well, he added.

Another form of sound energy is electronic voice phenomenon (EVP).

Buell said the voices of spirits can be heard when recorded EVPs are played back.

The reason the sounds cannot be heard by the human ear is that "spirits do not have vocal chords. When they speak, they have different [sound] patterns," Buell said.

Another theory of EVP is that "spirits imprint their voices on the tape," Music said.

PRS members also use electromagnetic field detectors to identify the presence of energy. They also use satellite thermometers, which can be set up around a base thermometer to give average temperatures in a room, Buell said.

Ritsko said the theory is that a temperature drop indicates the entity is pulling energy from the surrounding environment.

When asked about those who are skeptical of their work, Music said, "You can't force a true skeptic to change his mind."

A detailed schedule of UNIV-CON events is available at www.pennstateprs.
com/conference.shtml.