New graduate scholarship to honor Lovisa Arnesson-Cronhamre

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The life of Lovisa Arnesson-Cronhamre, a graduate student at Penn State in architectural engineering, who planned to transfer to physics to pursue her passion, was much too short. She was struck by a speeding car on Sept. 12, 2023, while running on the sidewalk along East Park Avenue, dying in the early hours of Sept. 13, but her legacy will live on through the generosity of her family and loved ones.

Arnesson-Cronhamre's parents, Maja Cronhamre and Peter Arnesson Gyld, along with her fiancé, Matthew Hollingham, a graduate student in architectural engineering, have established the Be More Lovisa Graduate Student Scholarship in Physics in the Eberly College of Science, which will provide funding for a graduate student in physics, with a preference for students studying particle astrophysics.

“Losing Lovisa has been devastating but we, as a family, strongly wish to contribute to someone else’s love of physics and to honor Lovisa in a way that will keep her memory alive,” Cronhamre said. “We have chosen to do this at Penn State, where her future dreams were being made possible. For us as a family, it’s vital to reflect Lovisa and her amazing qualities in a way that can contribute to her memory and so that other graduate students may follow their own dream.”

Ten members of Arnesson-Cronhamre’s Swedish family, along with Hollingham's parents from the U.K., traveled to State College for a ceremony celebrating her life on Sept. 12, where they also announced the memorial scholarship’s establishment.

The scholarship will be awarded to a graduate student in the Eberly College of Science studying physics who shows a passion for the subject and a conscientious, determined, considered and forward-thinking approach and who is supportive to others while making a significant contribution either individually or within a team. All qualities belonging to Arnesson-Cronhamre.

Arnesson-Cronhamre began at Penn State as a member of the Responsive and Adaptive Infrastructure Materials (Re-AIM) Research Group in architectural engineering and had planned to transfer to the Department of Physics and work on the IceCube Neutrino Observatory for her doctoral research.

“Her heart was in physics,” said Doug Cowen, professor of physics. “There was no hurdle high enough to deter Lovisa from pursuing her goal of a Ph.D. in experimental neutrino physics. She will be remembered as an exceptionally self-motivated, gifted, warm, enthusiastic young woman who would have become an outstanding experimental neutrino physicist.”

Arnesson-Cronhamre’s parents described her as modest and humble, so nominations for the scholarship will be accepted from those who work alongside someone who is worthy of consideration yet may not, for whatever reason, apply themselves.

“I believe it's important to establish a scholarship in Lovisa's name so that her memory can live on for as long as possible,” Arnesson Gyld said. “Lovisa was incredibly helpful and always stepped up when someone needed assistance. A scholarship that can be awarded in her name is yet another way for her to continue helping others, just as she did when she was with us. Her kind heart can continue to make a difference.”

Arnesson-Cronhamre was born on June 23, 1998, in Örebro, Sweden. She has three younger siblings: her brother, Adam; sister, Linnea; and youngest sister, Alvina. With separated parents, Arnesson-Cronhamre also had two additional adults in her large extended family, Cronhamre's husband, Jakob, and Arnesson Gyld's wife, Annika, as well as Annika's children, Alexander and Tamara. After graduating high school in Sweden, Arnesson-Cronhamre moved to Scotland, where she spent five years studying astrophysics at Glasgow University, where she met Hollingham. The two then moved to Penn State to pursue doctoral degrees. Outside of her science, Arnesson-Cronhamre was a dedicated powerlifter.

“Lovisa truly lived her life well and we will always be incredibly proud of her, not only for her impressive accomplishments but for being an amazingly kind and thoughtful person,” Cronhamre said. “The world needs more Lovisas.”

Hollingham shared a written dedication to Arnesson-Cronhamre in a Medium blog post in September 2023, and on Saturday, Sept. 14, he will hold a “Climbing Mount Everest via Mount Nittany” charity hike in her honor. Supported by friends and family, he plans to climb Mount Nittany almost 50 times over 32 hours until he reaches the same height as Mount Everest for the international charity Save the Children.

“Lovisa always wanted to have children,” Hollingham said, “but she was killed before she had the chance. This is me giving back to the children she never had.”

Gifts to the Be More Lovisa Graduate Student Scholarship advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients, and communities across the Commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.