Variation in bone growth and health in adolescent athlete’s

by Stephanie Manu

Senior Harchdy Souffrance demonstrated his knowledge of bone development through his poster presentation for the annual Spring 2021 Academic Showcase this week.

 Souffrance’s interest in learning more about the development of bone growth and the stress placed on ones by athletes is what lead to the topic.

 “As we know bone mass develops the most, during the adolescent period,” Souffrance said over a Zoom Interview.

By analyzing different sports Souffrance was able to gather comparisons of bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), both of which measure pressure forced down on the bones and tissues surrounding it.

Photo: Harchdy Souffrance

A major conclusion made in the poster was that high intensity sports do produce an increased impact on the bones, which aids in stronger bone health overall.

Robert Anzalone, an assistant professor of Biology and Health Sciences, was a sponsor for this project, helping Souffrance to look deeper into his idea to narrow it down to look more into youth participating in sports at a young age.

Anzalone discussed the process of guiding Souffrance through this project while teaching remotely, and utilizing a system called screencastify to communicate and help students.

This study was focused on observing the different effects placed on bone health from different sports.