
Ross Pettinger, a Senior Soft-ware Engineering Analyst for JETS II, is a veteran of FIRST Robotics competitions, mentoring elementary, intermediate, and high school robotics teams for 20 years.
Ross mentors First Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 324, Chips, which is sponsored by NASA, Jacobs, Aerodyne, the Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) in Southeast Houston and others.
“I have been with Aerodyne for 11 years and have been part of the JSC Robotics and Simulation Department for 13 years,” said Ross. “I have been supporting NASA at JSC for 33 years."
“Students and mentors spent about eight weeks designing and building a 120-pound robot that could pick up, shoot, and place 16-inch diameter rings, then climb onto a chain during 2.5-minute matches.”
Ross’ wife, daughter and brother-in-law are also Chips mentors, “it has become a family thing!”
Zach Rohloff, the nephew of Aerodyne Sr. VP, Ralph Rohloff, is a senior in his fourth year on Chips.
Chips was created in 2020 as a partnership between the CCISD and NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) and 2024 was a very successful season for Team 324. It consists of 42 CCISD high school students and 10 mentors.
At the San Antonio District event, Chips finished in fourth place and was awarded the Creativity Award, which celebrates creativity that enhances strategy of play and was intentionally designed and not discovered.
Chips followed that with a second-place finish at the Space City District event at Clear Brook High School in Friendswood, TX and was awarded the Gracious Professionalism® Award. The award “celebrates outstanding demonstration of FIRST Core Values such as continuous Gracious Professionalism® and working together both on and off the playing field.”
In addition, Chips qualified for the Texas State Championship and finished fifth in their division, which qualified them to compete in the FIRST World Championships.
“Every season that I get to work with the students and see them grow is very rewarding,” said Ross. “Success at competitions makes the season more fun for everyone involved.”

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