St. Bonaventure University students representing the Physical Education, Sport Studies and Occupational Therapy programs delivered a presentation at a state conference that highlighted their innovative work in merging assistive technology with adapted physical education.

St. Bonaventure students are regular attendees at the Annual Conference of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (NYS AHPERD), but this year the SBU contingent celebrated a number of firsts at the 100^th annual event held Nov. 20-23.

The students’ presentation, “Interdisciplinary Team Approach: Merging Assistive Technology with Adapted Physical Education,” was the first combined graduate and undergraduate project from St. Bonaventure to be showcased at the NYS AHPERD Conference. It introduced state-of-the-art adapted equipment funded by a Keenan Grant, which will be utilized in the university’s Kinder Kinetics program for preschoolers with developmental delays and gifted and talented children.

During their presentation, the students – OT graduate students and undergraduate majors taking the PHED Motor Behavior course – demonstrated equipment designed to enhance balance, coordination, grasping, and kicking skills in the preschoolers, including an adapted bowling ramp for wheelchairs, a soccer beep ball with a hand kicker, and a balance rocker.

Faculty members Dr. Paula Scraba, Dr. Daekyun Oh, and Molly Vaughan attended the conference alongside the St. Bonaventure students, including session leader and OT student Madelyn Hager. Hager was supported by a team of nine: William “Billy” Dundon, a junior Physical Education major; Alexander “Alex” Foerster, a junior Physical Education major; Grace Hollenbeck, a junior Physical Education major; Ian Kennedy, a junior Physical Education major; Natalie Lamar, a sophomore Physical Education major; Andrew Marean, a junior Physical Education major; Victoria “Tori” Nascimento, a senior Physical Education major; Karena Recrosio, a senior Sport Studies major; and Hannah Walker, a junior Physical Education major.

“This collaborative effort demonstrates the strength of our academic programs and the leadership of our students,” said Scraba, who noted that the St. Bonaventure presentation was one of only a handful by college students at the conference.

This year’s conference, featuring more than 300 sessions and intensive trainings, opened new doors for St. Bonaventure students to engage with leading professionals, including Robert Sliwinski, the executive director of Rugby New York, who discussed opportunities with Lamar to bring flag rugby to campus for Girls & Women in Sports Day in April 2025.

For the first time, two Division 1 student-athletes from SBU received the prestigious Jay B. Nash Outstanding Major Award during the conference. The recipients were Walker, a women’s soccer player from Sayre, Pennsylvania, and Nascimento, a women’s lacrosse player from Acton, Ontario. This honor recognizes undergraduate students who exemplify scholarship, leadership, service and professionalism. Five of this year’s St. Bonaventure contingent are D1 student-athletes.

The St. Bonaventure group was also able to connect with two former student-athletes – Marlee Solomon (lacrosse) and Sydney Cerza (soccer), who are both teaching physical education and coaching in New York state school districts.

The NYS AHPERD is the governing professional organization for the Physical Education and Sport Studies programs at St. Bonaventure.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).