Whether they are attempting to discover a more effective procedure to diagnose depression or coming up with better ways to predict how petroleum will react under varying conditions, Slippery Rock University students are diving deep into research.

Now, they get to share it.

Eleven research projects authored by SRU students were selected for presentation at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, April 11-13 at Kennesaw State University. The 11 SRU students will be among more than 4,000 students at the NCUR, making the event the largest undergraduate research conference in the country.

“This is exciting,” said Morgan Sabatini, a senior psychology major from Center Township, who will present her poster, “The Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in College Students.”

“It’s good to know that all my hard work, and all the extra hours that I wasn’t required to put into my research, are paying off and people are recognizing it. This is a great opportunity to be able to present research to other people who may be interested in it, such as faculty from other universities, to help spread the word and maybe it will click with them.”

Sabatini is tackling depression, a major issue affecting college students, with research she conducted with Amanda Bruscemi, a senior psychology major from McKees Rocks. Sabatini and Bruscemi tested 50 college students last fall, matching results from a depression screening test with frontal-lobe brain activity measured by an electroencephalography, or EEG, which monitors brain waves. Although the screening test they used doesn’t diagnose depression, the students were looking at how depressive symptoms are associated with brain activity for people who are not diagnosed.

“A lot of college students have depression and don’t know about it, so (this research is) important to bring awareness,” Sabatini said.

“The only way you can get diagnosed is if you say you have it (by presenting verbally to a physician). I want to see if there’s an actual biomarker in the brain to determine depression without having to go through symptoms.”

The following presentations will be conducted:

“Prevalence of Phobias in College Students,” oral presentation by Ashley Durbin, a senior public health major from Winterville, Ohio; Kalee Wayne, a junior public health major from DuBois; and Megan Garland, a senior dual major in public health and music performance from McDonald, mentored by Kimberly Forrest.

“Drilling Performance Monitoring and Optimization Using Advanced Artificial Intelligence,” oral presentation by Austin Gnesda, mentored by Mohammad Kazemi.

“Phase Equilibria in CO2-Multicomponent Hydrocarbon Systems in Shale Organic Nanopores: A Coarse Grained Molecular Simulation Study,” oral presentation by Gnesda, mentored by Kazemi.

“Molecular Simulation of Phase Behavior of Complex Petroleum Mixtures,” oral presentation by Gnesda, mentored by Kazemi.

“Molecular Dynamics Study of Transport and Storage of Methane in Kerogen,” oral presentation by William Briggs, mentored by Kazemi.

“On the Surface Diffusion Phenomena in the Organic Nanopores of Shale,” oral presentation by Jesse Hansel, mentored by Kazemi.

“The Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in College Students,” poster presentation by Sabatini and Bruscemi, mentored by Jennifer Willford.

“Depression Symptoms are Associated with EEG Alpha Power in College Students,” poster presentation by Bruscemi and Sabatini, mentored by Willford.

“The Associations between Marijuana Use, Life Satisfaction and Stress in College Students is Moderated by Gender,” poster presentation by Shelby Bruggeman, a senior psychology major from Saxonburg; Lauren Hollis, a senior psychology major from Donora; and Alaska Beck, a senior psychology major from Titusville, mentored by Willford.

“Academic Problems Associated with Drinking Predict Decreased Well-Being in College Students,” poster presentation by Hollis, Bruggeman and Beck, mentored by Willford.

“Self-Determination and Exercise Enjoyment Predict Body Satisfaction in College Students,” poster presentation by Beck, Hollis and Bruggeman, mentored by Willford.