Donovan Magney

About

Hi, I’m Donovan Magney, a Computer Engineering graduate student. I have an interest in developing avionics hardware in the aerospace industry, especially on rockets. I am a FIRST Robotics alumni, mentor, and volunteer, and I lead the hardware team on my university's rocket team. I am very driven by my love for space, and I actively seek opportunities to advance technology and increase our understanding of human space travel.

Mission

1. Go to space/become an astronaut
2. Utilize skills and time on increasing space exploration knowledge and technology
3. Inspire and assist as many people as possible in pursuing their own stem journeys

Inspiration

As a child I've always had an interest in space. I was constantly amazed when learning about the stars, planets, and the scale of the universe. As I got older, I took an interest in computers and how they worked, which led me to FIRST Robotics. Through Robotics I learned how much fun it is to bring your own ideas to life. This was the primary influence on my decision to become an engineer.

Then, on February 6th, 2018, SpaceX launched a Tesla Roadster into space as a test flight for their newest rocket, the Falcon Heavy. This was the very first launch livestream that I ever watched, and was the spark that inspired me to pursue spaceflight as a career!

Resume

In case you do not already have a paper copy, below is a more detailed version of my resume!

Education

Master of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Sep 2024 - Dec 2025*

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Bachelor of Computer Engineering

Sep 2022 - May 2024

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

3.58 GPA
5X Deans List

Organizations

Avionics Hardware Lead

Sep 2021 - Present

University of Minnesota Rocket Team

Led hardware development of a custom flight computer using PIC and STM microcontrollers with Altium
Collaborated with 3 leads to create a 50+ page document and a 2-hour presentation for the Preliminary Design Reviews
Created template projects to standardize file structures, minimize errors, and expedite future development
Developed over 9 pages of documentation from scratch for all current and in-development circuit boards
Developed training teaching 16+ new members on how to utilize datasheets and Altium to design printed circuit boards
Conducted multiple schematic and board design reviews with the avionics and firmware leads
Coauthored technical reports for the Spaceport America competition during the 2023 and 2024 seasons

Mentor/Alumni/Event Volunteer

Oct 2012 - Present

KnightKrawlers/Granite City Gearheads Robotics Teams

Improved public speaking skills by presenting to management and lead engineers of potential sponsors every year
Instructed up to 15 high school students on the controls sub-team in coding concepts and robot programming
Maintained situational awareness (as a referee) in a fast paced environment to ensure the fair play of 6 robots at once
Supervised robot placing and removal (as a field volunteer) from the playing field for over 100 matches each season to ensure safety

System Administrator/Cyber Operations Specialist

Oct 2015 - Present

Minnesota Army National Guard

Coordinated with multiple sites to diagnose many system failures to include equipment, networks, software, and applications, then brainstorm and implement solutions
Compiled and reported data on suspected threats to peers and leadership during a 2 week validation exercise

Experience

Electrical Engineering Intern

Jun 2024 - Aug 2024

AeroVironment, Petaluma, CA

Designed a circuit board (in Altium) to control a camera retract system and communicate with the aircraft controller
Developed the electrical system for a camera retract to include power electronics, sensors, analog switching, and a microcontroller
Conducted multiple trade studies for the camera retract electronics to determine controllers, actuators, and sensors
Tested the electrical system against approximately 20 requirements in accordance with the requirements document

Avionics Test Engineering Intern

Jun 2023 - Aug 2023

Cirrus Aircraft, Duluth, MN

Automated testing of new avionics software loads with Python, increasing efficiency by 68.8%
Collaborated with another intern to build an automation framework and produce over 35 pages of documentation
Presented the framework to 3 avionics superiors and over 5 non-avionics staff members

NASA Academy Research Associate

Jun 2022 - Aug 2022

NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA

Worked with a team of 9 to research an Aerial Connectivity Network to enhance firefighter communication near wildfires
Held weekly meetings with 3 firefighters (customer) and 5 NASA advisors to to communicate project status
Organized a workshop for 14 interns on developing their own portfolio websites
Coauthored 2 technical project reports now published on the NASA Technical Reports Server
- Ad Hawk Aerial Connectivity Network
- Semi-Autonomous Transportation of Emergency Supplies via sUAS

Skills

In this secion is a basic overview of my technical skills. I also provide a short description of the main things they have been used for.

CAD Tools

Altium

Utilized with the 555 Oscillator project and on rocket team avionics.

KiCAD

Used to learn PCB design for the first time with the PCB Counter project.

Onshape

The primary CAD tool used for any 3D Printing projects.

Fusion 360

Used for the creation of the Soyuz and Electron 3D models, as well as other minor 3D printing projects.

Hardware

STM & PIC Microcontrollers

Both of these microcontrollers were used on the Rocket Team at some point, the PIC was taught in school, and the STM has been used for personal projects.

Nexys A7 FPGA

The development board used in a college course about Verilog and FPGAs, as well as for personal projects such as the Verilog Synthesizer.

3D Printers

A tool learned both out of interest, and to be able to do robotic type projects at home at a much lower cost.

Various Lab Equipment

Eqiupment such as osciloscopes, Saleae Logic analyzers, power supplies, and multimeters are used for most projects, and in lab classes.

Software

Vivado

The application that was used to interface with the FPGA during the school FPGA class.

LT Spice

Software used in a circuits class in school. Also occasionally use it when learning about new circuit/circuit components.

Godot/Unity

Game Engines used during exploration of game development

Blender

Used during the 2013 and 2014 robotics season to create a safety animation. Also used for other smaller personal projects occasionally.

Programming Languages

C/C++

C has been used for PIC microcontroller projects during college classes, the Rocket Team, and personal projects. C++ has been used for Arduino projects, and multiple college courses.

The language used the Unity game engine, therefore was the primary language I learned to code in.

Python

The primary programming language as a Cyber Operations Specialist. The Flight Computer project also uses Python for data processing, and minor Raspberry Pi projects also have utilized it.

Java

The language used to code the robots in FIRST Robotics.

Other Languages

Verilog

Used at school in a FPGA class for many labs, the capstone being a calculator capable of 4 arithmetic operators and includes memory.

Cuda C

The language used in GPU programming. This what taught in a Parallel Programming course.

HTML

High school class taught very basic HTML, but this website refreshed that knowledge of html.

LaTeX

Learned by redoing my Resume using LaTex.

Human Languages

English

My native language.

American Sign Language

Took 3 years in high school, and 1 semester in college.

Portfolio

Here you can check out some of the projects I've been working on. You can also check out some of my smaller or incomplete projects in the project feed!

Project Feed