Aaron M. Hoover, PhD

Professor of this and that

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I am an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Massachusetts where I teach mechatronics and design, experiment with the design of learning environments, and sometimes teach students to make things like furniture, bicycles, and penny arcade games.

Lately, I also write a lot about my personal experiences battling brain cancer here. Come for the random musings on craft, engineering education, and digital joinery; stay for the reflections on mortality and the overwhelming beauty of life suddenly brought into sharp focus by a cancer diagnosis.

You can also find me on Google Scholar, Github, Twitter and Instagram

December 2, 2019December 2, 2019

Connecting With Other Brain Tumor Patients Is Important

Last night I participated in my first Twitter Chat – the monthly #btsm (Brain Tumor Social Media) chat....

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November 19, 2019November 18, 2019

Terminal Cancer is a Fluid

What a weird title, right? Well, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how so many conversations in...

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November 14, 2019November 17, 2019

“What’s good?”

I have always liked the greeting, “What’s good?” It’s succinct. It’s hopeful. It intentionally invites responses that don’t...

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October 21, 2019October 21, 2019

Chemo Round 4 in the Books

Something the other day reminded me that the standard of care for brain tumors is commonly referred to...

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September 26, 2019September 25, 2019

Reflecting on the Halfway Point of Chemo

Apart from the obvious, “I’m halfway done!” sentiment, here’s something good I can say about finishing my first...

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September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

Two for two!

For those of you following along at home, you know that I went in for another MRI last...

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September 9, 2019September 9, 2019

Scanxiety

It’s 9pm, and I’m sitting here waiting to be loaded onto a table, have my head clamped into...

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September 4, 2019September 3, 2019

Teaching with Cancer…

Note: Before you get all righteous and up in arms about Olin making me go back to teaching...

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August 28, 2019August 28, 2019

It’s Good to Be Back

Today was sort of the unofficial first day of the semester. Why unofficial? Well, it was the first...

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August 23, 2019August 24, 2019

“What punishments of God are not gifts?”

A few days ago on Twitter, I encountered this remarkable clip of Anderson Cooper interviewing Stephen Colbert, and...

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August 22, 2019August 22, 2019

Round 2 – Chemo 0, Aaron 1

Tonight, I will take the last of five doses of my chemotherapy in this second round. I hope...

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August 20, 2019August 20, 2019

Maine, Part 2 -Shleppinghurst

A man buys a quarry and turns it into a Japanese garden… Some people read a Bangor Daily...

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August 19, 2019August 18, 2019

Maine, Part 1 – Chairmaking

The Backstory Sometime shortly after I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, I also found out that a spot had...

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August 16, 2019August 16, 2019

Round 2: It’s back on…

…but I’m not sure how I feel about that. Today, my platelet level was 106 K/uL, officially clearing...

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August 15, 2019August 15, 2019

Waiting in the Healing Garden

As I mentioned before, I’m in a bit of a holding pattern as I wait for my platelets...

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August 13, 2019August 13, 2019

Round 2: Temporarily Postponed

Platelets be like, “whoa, whoa, whoa…” And, honestly, this is perfectly fine with me. Today I was supposed...

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Bicycle Framebuilding: Jig Design
August 6, 2019August 6, 2019

Bicycle Framebuilding: Jig Design

Update (08/06/2109): Engineering Drawings! Wow – someone has actually read this post and requested drawings! This seems only...

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July 31, 2019July 31, 2019

Round 1: Chemo 1, Aaron 0

Apologies if it’s been a little quiet around here lately. The R’s and I took a little time...

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July 15, 2019July 13, 2019

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!

Last Friday, I had my one-month post-radiation follow-up. The Tuesday prior, big R and I had a lovely...

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July 15, 2019July 13, 2019

Stories from taking Lyft five days a week

It’s the law. Something I was unaware of before this whole ordeal began is the fact that Massachusetts...

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July 1, 2019July 1, 2019

It’s been two weeks…

Well, I guess it’s now officially been two whole weeks since my 30th (and final) radiation therapy treatment....

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June 24, 2019June 24, 2019

It’s been one week…

Did I get that Barenaked Ladies song stuck in your head? I certainly hope so! Adrift Seriously, though,...

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The author in his radiation mask
June 17, 2019June 17, 2019

Radiation Day 30 – I’m finished!

The last beam room music rundown: Your last beam room music rundown. Technically, there was a song playing...

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View from the healing garden on the 8th floor of the MGH Yawkey building.
June 14, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 29 – Country music and adventures in the Healing Garden

Happy Friday, y’all! Here’s your beam room music rundown: “My Girl,” Dylan Scott – More country, and I’m...

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June 13, 2019June 13, 2019

Radiation Day 28 – Soul Music and 3D Modeling

Today’s beam room music rundown: “Upside Down,” Jeffrey David Goldford – This was a new song for me....

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June 12, 2019June 12, 2019

Radiation Day 27 – Milestones

Beam room music rundown: “The Space Between,” Dave Matthews Band – I think we know where I stand...

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June 11, 2019June 11, 2019

Radiation Day 26 – Sideways

Beam room music rundown: None, nothing, nada There was, however, a woman tech in the beam room today...

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June 10, 2019June 10, 2019

Radiation Day 25 – 5/6 of the way there.

Beam room music rundown: Absolutely nuthin’ I also collected yet another data point supporting the correlation of a...

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June 7, 2019June 7, 2019

Radiation Day 24 – Chemo + Fasting + Avoiding Caffeine = ?

Beam room music rundown: “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” Tom Petty – It’s good to hear you...

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June 7, 2019June 7, 2019

Radiation Day 23 – Lady Gaga and the Humanity of Stanning Little Caesar’s Pizza

Today’s beam room music rundown: “Nobody Knows,” The Lumineers – Lumineers, you can take a powder now. “Always...

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June 5, 2019June 5, 2019

Radiation Day 22 – Timely tunes and the Coen brothers

Beam room music rundown: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen – It was very difficult to keep from attempting to bang...

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June 4, 2019June 4, 2019

Radiation Day 21 – We’re gonna do this keto thing!

Your beam room music rundown: “Someone Like You,” Adele – Adele has got some pipes. I might have...

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June 4, 2019June 3, 2019

My broken (and repaired) body – an inventory

First things first: this post is a bit self-indulgent, possibly somewhat gross, (depending on your perspective), and long....

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June 3, 2019June 3, 2019

Radiation Day 20 – A Keto Diet Brain Dump

Today’s beam room music rundown: Nothing, nada, zilch I have yet another data point correlating the presence of...

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May 31, 2019May 31, 2019

Radiation Day 19 – Can keto improve treatment outcomes?

Beam room music rundown: “She’s Always a Woman,” Billy Joel “The Boxer,” Simon & Garfunkel “Lonely People,” America ...

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May 30, 2019May 30, 2019

Radiation Day 18 – Asking for what I need

Beam room music rundown: Some country song I couldn’t make out because the radio was too quiet and...

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May 29, 2019May 29, 2019

Radiation Day 17 – Winehouse, and only Winehouse

That’s right, only one song in the beam room today, folks: “Valerie,” Amy Winehouse – This is a...

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May 28, 2019May 28, 2019

Radiation Day 16 – It’s classic rock all the way down

Beam room music rundown: “I Can’t Tell You Why,” The Eagles – Once again, I side with The...

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May 25, 2019May 25, 2019

Radiation Day 15 – “Whoa-oh we’re halfway there.”

(I really, really hope you read that title in Jon Bon Jovi’s voice to the rhythm of “Livin’...

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May 23, 2019May 23, 2019

Radiation Day 14 – Silence is golden

Today was the second day of no music in the beam room. The common factor in both days...

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May 22, 2019May 23, 2019

Radiation Day 13 – A subtle shift in language

Your day 13 beam room music rundown: “Fool In The Rain,” Led Zeppelin “I Am a Rock,” Simon...

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May 21, 2019May 21, 2019

Radiation Day 12 – A Solo Journey

Beam room music rundown: “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” Dean Martin – A little too on...

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May 20, 2019May 20, 2019

Radiation Day 11 – Country music!

The beam room really switched it up on me today, defying my expectations. Country! Here’s the rundown: “Chicken...

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May 20, 2019May 20, 2019

Graduations, Community, and Connectedness

Yesterday was Olin’s graduation. Despite a dreary, and rainy start (thanks, New England “spring”!), by the time the...

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May 17, 2019May 17, 2019

Radiation Day 10 – The sound of silence

Well, week 2 of radiation therapy is officially in the books, but there was no music in the...

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May 16, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 9

Beam room music rundown (only two songs today thanks to the Eagles’ propensity for writing looooong songs): “I...

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May 16, 2019June 14, 2019

“I don’t think I can wear an ‘F Cancer’ t-shirt.”

About a week after my surgery, I had a follow-up appointment with my neuro-oncologist. We needed to wait...

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May 15, 2019May 15, 2019

Radiation Day 8 – Tom Petty sparks San Francisco nostalgia

Your daily beam room music rundown: “Fire and Rain,” James Taylor “Black Water,” The Doobie Brothers “Mary Jane’s...

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May 14, 2019May 14, 2019

Radiation Day 7 – I could have chosen the music today…

…but I didn’t. I had to go to a different beam room than my normal location today because...

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May 14, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 6

Beam room music rundown: “The Space Between,” Dave Matthews Band (really, more DMB?) [Sadly, I forgot the other...

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May 12, 2019June 14, 2019

The Cancer Nod

Do you know what a “bro nod” is? No? Well, click away on that there link and get...

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May 11, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 5 – Week 1 is in the books (and the music wasn’t bad)!

Beam room music rundown: “Eleanor Rigby,” The Beatles “The Way You Make Me Feel,” Michael Jackson “You’re My...

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May 9, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 4 – It was a good day

Beam room music breakdown: “Ants Marching,” Dave Matthews Band (swing and a miss) [Another DMB song I couldn’t...

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May 9, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 3 – Beam room music rundown and the odd sensation of flashing lights behind my eyelids

Song 1 – “Ho Hey,” The Lumineers Song 2 – “Yellow,” Coldplay Song 3 – “Stand By Me,”...

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May 7, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 2, Part 2 – In which the music in the beam room makes me feel old

When I was back home for the holidays this past winter, an old friend of mine remarked how...

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May 7, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 2, Part 1 – “The Man in the Plastic Mask”

Yesterday I alluded to a sweet, custom-made plastic mask that attaches to the table of the external beam...

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May 6, 2019June 14, 2019

Radiation Day 1

Well, well, well, the first day of radiation and (bonus!) half-dose chemotherapy has arrived. There’s a strict schedule...

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May 3, 2019May 4, 2019

A baseline for my brain

Today was a day of milestones (and mile-markers, I suppose). This morning I had a neuropsychological assessment to...

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When your body betrays you (or starting my battle with brain cancer)
April 30, 2019July 11, 2019

When your body betrays you (or starting my battle with brain cancer)

Note to the reader: This post is a bit of a departure from previous writing I’ve done here...

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Digital Joinery, Part 2 – The Board Corner Joint
February 14, 2019June 14, 2019

Digital Joinery, Part 2 – The Board Corner Joint

In the post, Digital Joinery Design Automation, I introduced a project I’m working on to implement all 50...

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Digital Joinery, Part 1 – “Frame Corner Joint”
December 14, 2018December 14, 2018

Digital Joinery, Part 1 – “Frame Corner Joint”

In my last post, “Digital Joinery Design Automation,” I wrote about a project I planned to undertake to...

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October 11, 2018February 28, 2019

Digital Joinery Design Automation

In past posts, I’ve written a little bit about my experience taking a 12-week intensive course in furniture...

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September 13, 2018June 14, 2019

The role of “craftsmanship” in engineering education

For a while now, I’ve been thinking a lot about craft as it relates to engineering education. “What...

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July 17, 2018June 14, 2019

Craft and computers

You start by sketching, then you do a drawing, then you make a model, and then you go...

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June 21, 2018November 1, 2018

The antithesis of multitasking

I’ve just completed my first week of the 12-week furniture intensive course at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship...

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May 25, 2018November 1, 2018

Cloud-enabled Time-Lapse Video – Part II

In Cloud-enabled Time-Lapse Video Part I, I walked through setting up a Raspberry Pi with a camera and...

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Cloud-enabled Time-Lapse Video – Part I
May 24, 2018November 1, 2018

Cloud-enabled Time-Lapse Video – Part I

A major theme of the library reinvention project is documentation. Documentation can serve many critical purposes including storytelling,...

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May 24, 2018November 1, 2018

Pivots: A Scrum pattern for design projects

I'm calling the pattern "Pivots," but it's based on an existing pattern called the "Interrupt Pattern" devised by Jeff...

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May 24, 2018November 1, 2018

Design Thinking + Scrum = ?

At Olin, design (and design thinking) is one lens through which we view engineering. If you'll allow me...

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