Dancing Queens Not long after cheering up the cover of Dance Spirit, the Cougarettes added two more national dance championships to their title total—now 19 since 1997. Learn how the Cougarettes have earned their success and watch their award-winning performances in both jazz and hip-hop.

Capping Off College BYU’s commencement exercises, now a single event honoring all students graduating during the academic year, will take place April 25. Elder Patrick Kearon is scheduled to speak, and best-selling author and BYU-briefcase-toting social scientist Arthur C. Brooks will receive an honorary doctorate.

15 Noteworthy Years BYU’s female a cappella group, Noteworthy, celebrates the 15th anniversary of its formation with a touching performance of “I Can Only Imagine.” Since it began in 2004, Noteworthy has won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, produced 17 music videos, and released 6 albums.

Back in Blue BYU recently introduced Mark Pope as the new head coach for mens basketball. Pope’s coaching career includes being an assistant coach at Georgia, Wake Forest, and BYU, and, most recently, four years as the head coach at Utah Valley University.

Honor Code Answers In response to student concerns about the Honor Code Office, the office’s director, Kevin Utt, met with many students in recent weeks. He shared answers to some of the most common questions in this Q&A.

Ranger Danger Alumna Anna Hodge undertook the grueling challenge of becoming an Army Ranger, having to try, try, try, try, try . . . and then try again. Trailblazing the way for others, Hodge became the first female BYU grad and only the 15th woman ever to graduate from Army Ranger School.

Eyes, Hands, and Relationships A new BYU study looked at the pupils’ reaction to stressors in order to research the benefits of relationships. When subjects took a difficult test, those with a hand-holding spouse present were measured as having a decreased stress level. Read more here.

Shushing the Woosh! These BYU physicists have invented a vacuum-assisted toilet that’s half as loud as a typical airplane toilet. The team has already filed three patents and is working to bring the invention to the market.

For the Birds A BYU team of researchers looked down the throats of birds, trying to understand how they evolved to have a syrinx—a uniquely avian feature they use for singing—rather than just a larynx, which they use to make other sounds. What they found was surprising.

2:09! Former BYU track star and Olympian Jared Ward finished eighth at the Boston Marathon, setting a personal record with a time of 2:09:25—two minutes better than his time in the 2016 Olympics. The BYU stats professor’s time qualifies him for the 2020 summer games in Tokyo.

Video: Comms Grad’s StorySnacker App Competing for National Webby Award   BYU Professor Brings Joseph F. Smith’s Vision to Life in New Film I Saw the Hosts of the Dead   BYU Devotional: Prophetic Invitations and Promised Blessings   All Atwitter: Is That a Proposal at the BYU Library?   Design Professor Wrote and Illustrated New Children’s Book on Having Bad Days   Researchers Examine the Benefits of Feminism in Family Finances

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