Portraits of Adventure / University of Akron / Sophia
Sophia
University of Akron Field Station, Bath OH
April 2026
When Sophia Bailey was young, she spent time with and learned much of how she now thinks about the world through her aunt, a naturalist who was able to turn hikes and other outdoor adventures into lessons. Sophie has carried those lessons into her adult life, and they have had a large influence on her path and education. Between the lessons learned early, and her natural curiosity, Sophie spends much of her time researching and observing.
Currently, she studies acorn ants as part of her undergraduate degree at the University of Akron. In her research, she is learning how those ants respond to warming conditions as a way of measuring something much larger. She chose them, partly, because they are everywhere. If you want to understand how a changing climate moves through an ecosystem, you could start almost anywhere. As Sophia has always been attracted to the world of tiny insects, these ants are more than suitable and captivating as subjects for her to study.
Sophia is also an artist, a sculptor who finds a lot of overlap with science. For her, art and science have a large similarity: observation. The willingness to slow down and look at something until it starts to reveal itself to you. She thinks that's what's missing in the broader climate conversation, not data, not policy, but wonder and curiosity. She talks about getting people outside, letting them find something strange and beautiful in a tree, that's how caring starts.
She's graduating in December. After that, a master's degree, probably more ants, and hopefully more time in the field.
Others from University of Akron
Explore other Chapters
