The work days can be long. Sometimes they stretch to 12 hours dealing with mussel emergencies. But caring for and breeding baby mussels is some days not like work at all for Rachael Hoch, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Ticks can cause some major issues if you come close to them. According to the North Carolina Department of Human and Health Services, most of the tick-borne diseases from here are bacterial infection and can cause flu-like symptoms. Appalachian State University Biologist Dr. Steven Seagle is the resident expert on ticks and says there is some positive news when it comes to these creepy creatures.

Caroline McCrary, Science Teacher at Newton-Conover High School, was named the 2017 N-CCS Teacher of the Year at this year’s Staff of the Year Banquet. A graduate of the Teacher Education program at Appalachian State University, Caroline received both a Bachelors degree in Biology - Secondary Education and a Bachelors degree in Biology - Ecology and Evolutionary Sciences.