Mite

Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari (also known as Acarina) and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology. In soil ecosystems, mites are favored by high organic matter content and by moist conditions, wherein they actively engage in the fragmentation and mixing of organic matter.

Diversity and ecology

Mites are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups. They have exploited an incredible array of habitats, and because of their small size (most are microscopic), go largely unnoticed. Many live freely in the soil or water, but there are also a large number of species that live as parasites on plants, animals, and some that feed on mold. It is estimated that 48,200 species of mites have been described.

Mites occupy a wide range of ecological niches. For example, Oribatid mites are important decomposers and occur in many habitats. They eat a wide variety of material including living and dead plant and fungal material, lichens and carrion; some are even predatory, though no species of Oribatida mite are parasites.

MITES

MITES, or Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science, is a highly selective (3-4% acceptance rate) six-week summer program for rising high school seniors held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its purpose is to expose students from minority or otherwise disadvantaged backgrounds to the fields of science and engineering. The program also aims to foster an interest in these subject matters and prepare students for the pressures and lifestyle of college life.

History

MITES was founded in 1974 as the MITE (Minority Introduction to Engineering) Program with the purpose of increasing the number of people from underrepresented backgrounds in the engineering profession. It started out as a two-week intensive program, and later evolved into what is now a six-week program for 60-80 students from the fifty states and Puerto Rico.

Curriculum

Students take four core classes all six weeks from the following choices: