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Guilford County seeks 'citizen scientists' for tick study

Guilford County officials are inviting residents to take part in a study focusing on the region’s tick population.

The Guilford County Division of Public Health is soliciting participants for the study being conducted by North Carolina State University.

The county is partnering with N.C. State to distribute free tick collection kits to people 18 years or older. The goal is to take a “citizen scientist” approach to gauging the tick population and exposure risk in the state.

Participants are being asked to submit ticks they’ve pulled off themselves to researchers and fill out a survey for each kit they use.

According to the N.C. State website, North Carolina is home to several common species of ticks. The parasitic arachnids are related to mites and spiders, and their bites can lead to diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease.

Free tick collection kits are available at the Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services in Greensboro.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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