Career Center advisers are encouraging students to make the most of the holiday break. The time off is a great chance to network and put plans into action, they say. Students are urged to self-evaluate, review their options, update their resumes and join the Washington University Alumni Association LinkedIn group. 

Working with the simplest of materials — sticks, branches and saplings — North Carolina-based artist Patrick Dougherty creates playful architectural forms that suggest nests, primitive shelters and fairy-tale castles. Dougherty enlisted dozens of students to help construct Double or Nothing, a new commission for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

Studying family members suspected of having Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the School of Medicine have identified a gene that causes a rare disorder highlighted by memory loss and motor impairments. The condition is known as Kufs disease.

Some WUSTL news stories never get old, and some just get better with time. WUSTL news editors picked 11 stories from 2011 — some new, some old — but all worth a second look as we head into 2012.

Rita A. Stanley arrived at the School of Law in 1995. Since then, the scenery and her duties changed, but a constant was excellent co-workers. “People were the reason I loved it here,” Stanley says. Stanley, along with the other 102 staff members who retired from the university this past year, contributed a total of 2,023 years of service to the university.

3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16

Toys for Tots drive closing cookie reception

Brown School campus toy drive ends with a cookie reception in Goldfarb Hall to honor the Marines. For more information, email Monica Matthieu at mmatthieu@wustl.edu.

Record on holiday hiatus

After this issue, the Record daily email takes a break for the holidays. Look for weekly issues Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012, and Wednesday, Jan. 11. The Record resumes regular daily emails Tuesday, Jan. 17, when classes begin for the spring semester. The Record website, record.wustl.edu, will be updated throughout the break. The Record staff wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

James W. Fleshman Jr., MD

A pioneer in laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer. FULL STORY

Visit Bear Sports website for winter break updates

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are in action this weekend — their final contests of the fall semester. The women host Webster University at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, and the men travel to Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill., for a 3 p.m. tipoff Saturday. For the results, and to check out all WUSTL sports news over the holidays, visit the Bear Sports website, bearsports.wustl.edu.