UC Riverside student Sneha Ahuja is one of 12 recipients of the 2026-2027 A. Strauss Scholarship for a project addressing extreme heat through public health efforts.
The Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation provides up to $15,000 scholarships to college sophomores and juniors to fund public service projects they proposed. Scholars were notified of the award in late April.
Ahuja, a second-year pre-medical biology student, submitted a proposal “Heat & Health: Building Climate-Resilient Communities in the Inland Empire” that tackles extreme heat through prevention at the community level.
Ahuja said she’s passionate about advancing health equity and rethinking how healthcare can move beyond hospitals into communities.
In her proposal, she notes how Riverside and San Bernardino counties experience prolonged summers with temperatures higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit as climate change intensifies. Many vulnerable populations – including low-income, elderly, and Latino residents – have limited access to air conditioning, shade infrastructure, and preventative health education
With her project, Ahuja plans to train 20 UCR students as climate health ambassadors who will go out to communities to deliver brief educational workshops and distribute 350 reusable cooling kits to vulnerable populations, including low-income communities and outdoor workers.
Ahuja said the project combines public health education, resource distribution, and leadership development opportunities to reduce heat-related illness and build long-term community resilience to climate change.
“Receiving the Strauss Scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me because it validates the idea that prevention and community-based care are essential parts of healthcare,” she said.
Ahuja said she’s excited to work alongside students and local partners to create sustainable solutions to address preventable health problems.
The $15,000 Strauss Scholarship will fund the program for one year, but Ahuja hopes to continue it by partnering with the UCR Environmental Science Club and the Riverside University Health System.
In addition to her Strauss project, Ahuja conducts research on global cancer disparities at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and contributes to research in biomaterials and wound healing at UCR.