Monica Young is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of integrative biology at the University of Guelph. She is an Alexander Graham Bell Graduate scholar interested in patterns of biodiversity and evolution in mites. Monica’s master’s assessed mite diversity in the subarctic location of Churchill, Man. Her work revealed that, although minute and inconspicuous, mites are an important and diverse part of local ecosystems, and their diversity is linked to accelerated rates of molecular evolution. She is excited to extend her research to the Canadian Arctic by exploring soil mite communities along the Northwest Passage as a member of Canada C3.