As the world marks Earth Day, two University of Akron (UA) students are being recognized for turning ideas into action.

Sophia Bailey and Gabrielle Raatz

Sophia Bailey, a biology major with a minor in sculpture, and Gabrielle Raatz, a painting and drawing major, planned and executed the third annual UA Climate Symposium at the UA Field Station at Bath Nature Preserve. Bailey and Raatz were named the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences Students of the Month for April in recognition of their leadership of this event.

For Bailey and Raatz, the event wasn’t just something to attend. It was something they helped shape.

What began as a small, department-led initiative has grown into a collaborative, interdisciplinary experience connecting students, faculty and the community.

The symposium was launched in 2024 by Dr. Chelsea Miller, assistant professor of biology, whose work focuses on environmental change and its impact on ecosystems.

“This has grown from a single-department event in year one to a cross-disciplinary event, and now it’s connected to recruitment and retention of students,” said Dr. Jordan Renna, chair of the Department of Biology.

While the symposium began as a faculty idea, it quickly became student-driven in its second year.

This year, Bailey and Raatz stepped into that opportunity, helping design activities that invited people to engage with their environmental impact and everyday choices in ways that felt approachable.

One of those activities encouraged attendees to reflect on their habits and commit to small, realistic changes.

“We set up a way for people to take a quiz about their carbon footprint and the ways they’re impacting the environment,” Bailey said. “Then we had printouts about things like thrifting your clothes or bringing a bag when you go grocery shopping, little things like that.”

The symposium also created space for connections beyond individual majors or clubs. Student organizations from across campus came together around a shared interest in sustainability, including UA’s Urban Agriculture and Beekeeping Club, the Environmental Action student organization, the UA chapter of the Association for Women Geoscientists, the Student Art League and the UAkron Geosciences Club.

“It’s nice for those clubs to talk to each other,” said Dr. Lara Roketenetz, director of the Field Station, a living laboratory for the advancement of knowledge through ecological research, education and stewardship of the natural world. “They have similar interests, even though they’re in their own groups. Students start to see there’s a whole network of people who care about the planet outside of their own circles.”

Across the event, activities blended science and creativity, drawing in students, families and community members through hands-on engagement.

For Raatz, that included leading a group through the Bath Nature Preserve to sketch and observe the natural environment.

“One of the exciting things for me was seeing Gabrielle lead students and members of the community down a path to draw lily pads and trees,” said Matthew Kolodziej, a professor in the Myers School of Art. “You could just see the light bulbs switching on for both her and the people behind her. These kinds of student opportunities, where arts and science intersect, enhance the powers of observation and develop more responsive, abstract thinkers.”

Bailey and Raatz didn’t wait for an opportunity. They helped create one working across disciplines and alongside faculty to turn ideas into action.

At UA, that’s the point.

You don’t just learn here. You do.