In about three weeks, Paranormal Research Society (PRS) Director Ryan Buell will exchange his thermometers and ghost-tracking equipment for a cap and gown.

However, his ghost-investigating and demon-searching days aren't over, Buell (senior-journalism and anthropology) said.

"I started this organization because of my personal interest and also because I wanted to do something serious," he said. "I intend to stay with it."

Buell started PRS four years ago after he discovered Penn State had no paranormal organizations.

As a teenager, an incident with a Ouja board sparked his interest in the paranormal.

"After my mom bought the board for me, I started noticing things moving on their own, and I felt as though I was being watched," he said. "Then, my mom claimed she threw out the board but found it in my closet later that day."

Following this incident, Buell read books about everything from poltergeists to the Bermuda Triangle.

At Penn State, Buell's first investigation involved a 1969 murder in Pattee Library and didn't go as well as he hoped, Buell said.

"A bunch of self-proclaimed witches came to the site and claimed I was possessed by the murderer's spirit," he said. "After that, I started training people in scientific investigation."

Each year, PRS receives more than 100 claims about demons, ghosts and UFO sightings on the East Coast.

The club works with a psychologist to rule out psychosis and conducts investigations to check each claim's legitimacy. PRS accepts about a dozen cases each year and travels to the haunted sites to conduct interviews and set up equipment, such as video cameras and thermometers for detecting cold spots.

"It's a very military setup, and there's a plan for everything which happens," Buell said. "The whole case itself produces over 100 pages of evidence analysis."

Buell said his creepiest encounter occurred while investigating a western Pennsylvania demonic case that involved bent crucifixes and writing on walls.

"Each case affects everyone differently," he said. "The whole time, I felt as though I wanted to attack my teammates and overcome by this feeling of depression."

Then the psychologist went into another room and said he felt something creepy.

"Then, these deep claw marks materialized on his head," Buell said. "It disappeared a few minutes later and didn't hurt the guy. We got the whole thing on tape. After that case, a lot of investigators said they won't do demonic cases any more."

On campus, PRS has investigated claims in Schwab Auditorium and the Old Botany Building.

While the group didn't find ghosts in Schwab, it recorded voices in the Old Botany Building's basement.

"There's a test where you run a tape recorder and ask questions. Then, you play back the tape and can hear a voice responding," Buell said. "We did this in the basement of the Old Botany Building and picked up a gravelly voice which sounded like someone who smoked a lot."

Buell devotes several hours each week to PRS investigations and activities.

Twice, he tried to quit the organization because of stress.

"I kept getting drawn back into it," Buell said. "I decided I was meant to do this."

While his parents support his interest, they refuse to go on a haunting investigation, Buell said.

"My dad's a cop and deals with bad guys every day, but he says that he could never do this with me," he said. "He says that in his line of work, he can use his gun to protect himself, but couldn't use a gun against a ghost."

After graduation, Buell said he will keep busy.

Currently, he's working on proposals for a reality television show about PRS and a television drama based on his experiences as a teenage paranormal investigator.

He also gives lectures at colleges and universities and recently finished writing a 280-page fiction book.

But PRS members said Buell will continue to act as their leader.

"He's so diligent on investigations," PRS member Sergey Poberezhny said. "He kind of acts as our boss. He's going to stick around, and people will still go to him for advice."