Every week we feature a set of comics created exclusively for WDD.

The content revolves around web design, blogging and funny situations that we encounter in our daily lives as designers.

These great cartoons are created by Jerry King, an award-winning cartoonist who’s one of the most published, prolific and versatile cartoonists in the world today.

So for a few moments, take a break from your daily routine, have a laugh and enjoy these funny cartoons.

Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below as well as any related stories of your own…

Minimalist in design only

Nickels and dimes

Flat designer

Can you relate to these situations? Please share your funny stories and comments below…

Bootstrap 3.0. Starter Kit PRO: 35 Responsive Templates – only $9!

Exploiting Probabilistic Information for Spectrum Sensing
and Utilization: towards Efficient Wireless Coexistence

Prof. Xiangwei Zhou
University of Illinois, Carbondale

11:45am Friday, 7 March 2014, ITE 325b, UMBC

With the rapid growth of wireless devices and applications, the electromagnetic radio spectrum is considered to be in short supply. To overcome spectrum scarcity and satisfy emerging user demands, cognitive radio, which can sense and adapt to the surrounding spectral environment, has been introduced to enhance the utilization of the spectrum. However, it is a challenging task to design a robust and cost-effective system involving identification and reuse of spectrum opportunities changing over time, frequency, and space. In this talk, I will focus on efficient spectrum sensing and utilization techniques for dynamic spectrum access. In particular, I will emphasize the importance of exploiting probabilistic information unique to such a system. I will present novel techniques from the perspectives of both a single user and a multi-user network. In the end, I will discuss further extension of the work to enable the coexistence of heterogeneous wireless networks.

Xiangwei Zhou received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, in 2011. He received his M.S. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China and his B.S. degree in Communication Engineering from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China, in 2007 and 2005, respectively. Since 2013, Dr. Zhou has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale as an Assistant Professor. Prior to that, he was a Senior Systems Engineer with Marvell Semiconductor, Santa Clara, California, from 2011 to 2013. Dr. Zhou’s general research interests include wireless communications and statistical signal processing, with current emphasis on cognitive radio and heterogeneous coexistence, cyber-physical systems, and cross-layer optimization. He is now serving as an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications.

Host: Mohamed Younis, Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address.

Exploiting Probabilistic Information for Spectrum Sensing
and Utilization: towards Efficient Wireless Coexistence

Prof. Xiangwei Zhou
University of Illinois, Carbondale

11:45am Friday, 7 March 2014, ITE 325b, UMBC

With the rapid growth of wireless devices and applications, the electromagnetic radio spectrum is considered to be in short supply. To overcome spectrum scarcity and satisfy emerging user demands, cognitive radio, which can sense and adapt to the surrounding spectral environment, has been introduced to enhance the utilization of the spectrum. However, it is a challenging task to design a robust and cost-effective system involving identification and reuse of spectrum opportunities changing over time, frequency, and space. In this talk, I will focus on efficient spectrum sensing and utilization techniques for dynamic spectrum access. In particular, I will emphasize the importance of exploiting probabilistic information unique to such a system. I will present novel techniques from the perspectives of both a single user and a multi-user network. In the end, I will discuss further extension of the work to enable the coexistence of heterogeneous wireless networks.

Xiangwei Zhou received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, in 2011. He received his M.S. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China and his B.S. degree in Communication Engineering from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China, in 2007 and 2005, respectively. Since 2013, Dr. Zhou has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale as an Assistant Professor. Prior to that, he was a Senior Systems Engineer with Marvell Semiconductor, Santa Clara, California, from 2011 to 2013. Dr. Zhou’s general research interests include wireless communications and statistical signal processing, with current emphasis on cognitive radio and heterogeneous coexistence, cyber-physical systems, and cross-layer optimization. He is now serving as an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications.

Host: Mohamed Younis, Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address.

Name:  Jahziel Paulines

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Chronic Diseases Informatics Program

Major(s)/Minor(s): Health Administration

Expected Graduation Year: May 2015

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service- learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I have to develop curriculum where patients are informed about their condition through a tablet. With each curriculum, I make questions and answers on a Word Document. Then I add images related to each question and audio record the statements that correspond to each question. After, I transfer all of the questions, answers, images and recordings onto Excel. The programmer then transfers everything onto the tablet. And once everything has been reviewed and ready to go, the tablet is ready to be used by patients.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I enjoy the peacefulness in the office. It helps me think and concentrate on the assignments assigned to me. I also like the assignments given. They're interesting and even though the assignments seem tedious, the work helps me pass through time.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

I've gained a lot of insight on how the department runs every day. I learned about the responsibilities that other opportunities might not have. I also gained friendship. I've met most of the people who work in the department and was able to work with them well.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

When there are opportunities open for you, don't close them out. Take as many as you can and make the best out of it. At least stay with one internship and be consistent with it. Be the best intern you can be, get acknowledged, and put yourself out there. Hopefully the right one for you will be the last door open.

How do you see your experience as meaningful? This might involve skills you’ve gained, information you’ve learned, mentors you’ve connected with, or projects you’ve completed.

There are things I've learned that I've never learned before, such as how to make a curriculum, how to complete excel and edit audio recordings. Because there are multiple assignments given, there are a lot of topics I've learned about. The experiences I've learned will definitely help me in my future.

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

You're never too young to plan for your future. As long as you start somewhere, there's a possibility you will be everywhere. Work hard and play harder. In the end, your future will be brighter. Have some faith in yourself and believe. You'll get there.

On Thursday, February 27, President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper, a White House initiative that empowers young men of color.

My Brother’s Keeper will partner with businesses, government officials, faith leaders, non-profit organizations and private groups. These groups have pledged to invest in programs aimed at helping men of color, and replicate successful efforts across the country.

Dr. Hrabowski, chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans, attended the event along with national leaders including General Colin Powell, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge.

At the event, President Obama said, “Government cannot play the only – or even the primary—role… broadening the horizons for our young men and giving them the tools they need to succeed will require a sustained effort from all of us.”

Learn more about “My Brother’s Keeper” here and Dr. Hrabowski’s involvement with the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans here.

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• Carlo DiClemente, Psychology, on New Books Network
• Dave Marcotte, Public Policy, in The Atlanta Journal Constitution and Bloomberg Businessweek
• Thomas Schaller, Political Science, Op-Ed in The Baltimore Sun
• Justin Vélez-Hagan, Public Policy, Op-Ed in Fox News Latino
• Dennis Coates, Economics, in The Daily Iowan

Check out all the other great campus news on Insights Weekly.