Donovan Nichols

Experience

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  Mathnasium of Cinco Ranch

  Mar 2021 - Nov 2023

  Math Instructor

  - Tutor students ages 5 and up in subjects ranging from number sense and counting to college calculus and statistics

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  Georgia Tech Experimental Rocketry

  Mar 2022 - now

  - Coordinated team of 20 students in designing and testing of rocket internal structures for vehicle with projected apogee of 220k ft including avionics bays, staging, and recovery systems- Downscaled from four avionics bays to one central bay, reducing system complexity and resulting in an 84% decrease in weight- Designed new motor mount system using permanently installed retaining rings to greatly simplify wiring and integration procedures- Designed, manufactured, and assembled interstage avionics bay, integrating camera, staging, and recovery systems for vehicle with projected apogee of 120k feet- Managed group of 15 students on assembly workdays to practice assembling the full rocket and troubleshoot wiring and integration procedures Show less

  • Structures Team Member

    Aug 2021 - now

  • Structures Lead

    Jul 2023 - Jul 2024

  • Internal Structures Lead

    Mar 2022 - Jul 2023
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  Gecko Robotics, Inc.

  May 2023 - Aug 2023

  Mechanical Engineering Intern

  Designed new test fixtures and mounting solutions to enable more realistic wheel tests simulating field conditions such as high heat, varied surface finishes, and turning angle. Developed new test procedures for these conditions, with test cases simulating failures seen in the field. Executed new suite of testing to characterize these failures, using a wide range of equipment including humidity/temperature chamber and tensile/compression test frame.

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  Gecko Robotics

  Jun 2024 - Aug 2024

  Mechanical Engineering Intern

  Developed parametric feasibility calculator for wall-climbing robot to evaluate minimum safe clearances and magnetic adhesion forces on differing asset geometries. Designed alternate payload mount system to maximize sensor coverage and ease of robot operations while maintaining minimum clearances, enabling the inspection of new, smaller assets. Tested new payload mount system, validating analysis and confirming it withstood predicted operating loads and easily integrated with main robot systems. Show less

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  Nauticus Robotics, Inc.

  Sept 2024 - now

  Mechanical Engineering Intern