February 2026 In the News
Sattar Leads New MAISRC Project on Invasive Mystery Snails: Junaed Sattar, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, is leading a new research project titled "Investigating the case of invasive mystery snails" funded by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC). The other Co-Investigators on the project are Amy Kinsley, Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, Ingrid Schneider, Professor, Department of Forest Resources and Megan Weber, Extension Professor, AIS Detectors. This project pilots a technology-informed system to improve surveillance of invasive mystery snails across Minnesota waterbodies and strengthen understanding of their ecological impacts. The system combines robotics, image analysis, and computer models to help target where the mystery snails are most likely to be found.
The goal is to improve early detection, provide better estimates of snail populations, and advance the design of a low-cost, open-source robot that can support existing monitoring efforts. MAISRC researchers will also gather input from potential users to enhance design and effectiveness. The project team will share results with communities, managers, and policymakers so the approach can be explored for other invasive species in the future. The project provides funding of $199,984 in direct costs with a duration from January 2026 to June 2027.
Prof. Sattar also received approximately $40,000 in the form of two RTX 6000 Blackwell GPUs and two Nvidia Jetson Orin AGX devices for Physical AI from Nvidia Corporation as a recipient of an NVIDIA Academic Grant award. These resources will support a project that proposes to develop GPU-accelerated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) which use visual and acoustic sensing fused through deep learning to detect, assess, and eventually enable removal of underwater debris.
Minnesota Public Radio asks Rajamani about Waymo's Debut in the Twin Cities: Waymo has begun data collection and early-stage testing of its autonomous vehicles in Minneapolis. Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) spoke with Rajesh Rajamani, Professor in Mechanical Engineering, about Waymo’s debut and whether autonomous driving would work in the US midwest winter weather. Rajamani provided insight into how technologies like lidar sensors and digital mapping allow self-driving cars to navigate when lane markings are obscured by snow—an issue common in Minnesota winters. Rajamani also addressed the challenges of active snowfall and icy conditions. He noted that heavy precipitation can degrade sensor performance, likely limiting when the vehicles are operable. While technologies such as electronic stability control help improve handling on icy roads, Rajamani emphasized that even autonomous systems will have operational thresholds. The interview also included Frank Douma of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, who discussed the evolving legal and regulatory landscape around autonomous vehicles in Minnesota. Read the full article on MPR: "Waymo is coming to Minneapolis. But can the self-driving taxi navigate winter weather?" (Chris Farrell and Aleesa Kuznetsov, Nov. 24, 2025).
Samad is the General Chair of the 2026 IEEE TEMSCON Global Conference: Tariq Samad, who holds the W.R. Sweatt Chair in Technology Management at TLI, is General Chair for IEEE TEMSCON Global 2025, to be held August 4-7, 2025 in San Diego. TEMSCON Global is the flagship international event of the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society, for which Dr. Samad is the President-Elect. The call for papers and further details are available at www.temscon-global.org.