Bringing the heat

University of Delaware (UD) students in the ENSC/ENVR 450 Proseminar in the Environment capstone course worked with state leaders and organizations to create Delaware’s first Heat Awareness Week, declared by Governor Matt Meyer for May 18-22, 2026. The initiative follows April’s record-breaking temperatures exceeding 90 degrees in parts of the state, signaling potential for an unusually hot summer. Students, led by Assistant Professor Vaishnavi Tripuraneni, partnered with Shweta Arya, vice president of the Mid-Atlantic Alliance for Climate and Health, to unify stakeholders addressing heat-related health risks. The project involved two student cohorts—fall 2025 and spring 2026—who researched heat awareness programs in South Carolina and Arizona to inform Delaware’s approach. They identified key focus areas for the week, including outdoor worker safety, youth and school safety, and protecting vulnerable populations and pets during extreme heat. The kickoff event will take place May 18 at the Gateway Conference Center in ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Campus. Arya highlighted that extreme heat is often underestimated but ranks as a leading weather-related cause of death, particularly for children, older adults, and those with pre-existing conditions. She emphasized that awareness and community protections can mitigate these risks. Doctoral student Nora Lucas, the course teaching assistant, guided the students throughout the process. Students like Katherine Turner and Jennifer Barbour noted the project’s real-world impact, with Turner observing challenges faced by other states and Barbour recognizing the importance of addressing heat as a growing public health issue. The initiative aims to shift perceptions of heat as a normal summer occurrence to one requiring proactive safety measures.