My name is Andy Peterson and I am the new chair for the Emerging Technologies Track at the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC) this year. I have been in the technology technology industry for over 20 years including more than a dozen in various QA roles. I currently serve as the QA Manager for Costco Travel’s Shopping group where we develop the best Search and Browsing experience for our members and travel agents. I am originally from Michigan and moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2006. I’ve been going through many of the regional hobbies like winemaking and mountain climbing, however these days I’m spending most of my team keeping up with my two daughters.

I fell in love with PNSQC in 2017 as an attendee. I appreciated the smaller group atmosphere with the same level of talent. I was prompted to submit a proposal the following year. I also began reviewing submissions and helping in other ways. I value the volunteer ideals that this conference is built on.

After several years of the same description, I made some updates to the Emerging Technologies Track description. Some of my thoughts going into the new description were built on the expanded use of many of the existing technologies such as extended reality and AI which have been around for many years and now seeing popular uses. Autonomous things and Robotics are also rapidly advancing and have potential to revolutionize transportation and other industries. With the rise of digital technologies, Cybersecurity and Blockchain is becoming a crucial concern to continually keep ahead of the criminal element. With climate change becoming an increasingly pressing concern, green technologies such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and green data centers are gaining importance.