Rose Windmiller, assistant vice chancellor for government and community relations at Washington University, has been appointed a member of Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s Ferguson Commission. Nixon announced and swore in the 16 members during a news conference yesterday at the Missouri History Museum.

Rare mutations that shut down a single gene are linked to lower cholesterol levels and a 50-percent reduction in the risk of heart attack, according to new research led by Nathan Stitziel, MD, PhD, of the School of Medicine. The gene, called NPC1L1, is of interest because it is the target of the drug ezetimibe, often prescribed to lower cholesterol.

On Nov. 18, 1989, 25 years ago, the Washington University volleyball team won the Bears sports program’s first national championship. The 3-0 victory over Ohio Northern University was the start of something big — it raised the bar for the entire athletic program moving forward.

Students, including undergraduates Kilian Suchocki (left) and Taylor Francis, took part in the 15th Dance Marathon, a 12-hour fundraiser held last weekend at the Danforth University Center. The annual student event raised more than $150,000 for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.