2020 Abstracts

Candiloro, Taelor (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Glass-Coffin, Bonnie (College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Department)

Over the past ten years, a growing national discourse about the issue of campus sexual assault has led to an increase in quantitative studies that analyze its prevalence on campus as well as the effectiveness of campus policies that have been institutionalized in order to address the systemic issue. Policies that have emerged to describe sexual assault may use specialized vocabulary that appears distant from the terms used by survivors when self-identifying, which may result in unintended consequences when policies are implemented. Using Utah State University's campus resources as a site of inquiry, this study examines language used by Title IX officers at Utah State University as they describe sexual and interpersonal violence among themselves, when addressing the student body, and among sexual assault survivors. Developed as part of a course in Ethnographic Methods at Utah State University, this qualitative study attempts to provide insight into this dynamic. Through a mixed-methods approach including ethnographic interviews, auto-ethnographic accounts of the author's experiences attending and interacting with various campus institutions, and analyses of contemporary tools of data collection, a network of identity emerges that contributes to a better understanding of how sexual assault policies might be improved to articulate alongside survivor experiences.

Goodrich, Ellie; Seaboch, Melissa (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Seaboch, Melissa (University of Utah, Anthropology)

Alouatta palliata (the mantled howler monkey) form large, cohesive multimale multifemale groups. Within these groups there are prominent male dominance hierarchies and both males and females disperse from natal groups. Although A. palliata groups are cohesive, interactions among individuals are rare. Spatial relationships in primate groups aren't random and are often telling of the underlying social structure within a group. This project compares three adult dyads in the A. palliata groups of La Selva Biological station, Costa Rica, to examine group cohesion and if there is variation in spatial patterns between the dyads. The dyads include male-male, female-female, and male-female. Data were collected from May 11-May 22 , 2017 and May 11- June 19, 2018. Instantaneous scan samples were taken at two-minute intervals, and for each scan the sex of each individual, the nearest neighbor's sex, and proximity to closest neighbor were recorded. Proximities were visually estimated to the nearest half meter and sex was determined by body size and the presence or absence of scrotum. The data showed that males maintained closer distances with females than with other males, and females maintained closer distances with females than males. The average male-male distance was 4.2 meters, female-female 1.51 meters, and male-female 2.68 meters. The results suggest that sex plays a role in the spatial organization of a group. In A. palliata adult males have been found to rarely interact with other males and will often employ avoidance strategies, explaining the distances observed between males in this study. Female-female dyads tend to maintain closer and more affiliative proximities due to the presence of infants and the lack of competition for mating and food resources. There are also more females present in A. palliata troop than males, increasing the likelihood that males would be in proximity to females rather than other males.

Patrick I. Garrett, Andrew N. Maloy, Allyson G Barraza, Braxton Tonks, Ashley M. Peterson, Sarah C. Honeycutt, Todd M. Hillhouse (Weber State University)

Current opioid drug treatments for acute and chronic pain have problematic side effects (e.g. addiction and respiratory depression). In general, preclinical studies use assays of pain-stimulated behaviors, which are defined as behaviors that increase in frequency, rate or intensity after delivery of a noxious stimulus. However, pain-stimulated behaviors can be reduced by drugs that suppress motor activity but lack analgesic properties. Novel assays of pain-depressed behaviors are defined as a decrease in frequency, rate or intensity after delivery of a noxious stimulus. Pain-depressed behaviors are used in complement to pain-stimulated behaviors because drugs that suppress motor activity will not produce analgesic properties in these assays. The present study sought to evaluate sex differences in C57BL/6 mice in assays of pain-stimulated (i.e. hot plate and acid-induced stretching) and pain-depressed behaviors (nesting, rearing, and locomotor activity). No sex differences were found in the hot plate test, or acid-induced stretching, as the noxious stimulus increased behavior in both sexes. During control conditions, male mice exhibited greater nesting behavior and rearing activity. However, treatment with 0.32% and 0.56% lactic acid depressed nesting, rearing, and locomotor activity to the same degree in male and female mice. These results suggest that some pain-depressed assays, such as nesting and rearing, might be more sensitive to sex difference; however, these sex differences are not expressed in pain-stimulated behaviors. In recent years the National Institute of Health (NIH) required the use of male and female animals in all studies. This study provides evidence on which pain assays will require separate groups to address behavioral sex differences.

Hoopes, Holly (Salt Lake Community College)
Faculty Advisor: Seaboch, Melissa (Salt Lake Community College, Anthropology)

Documenting primate sleep sites is a useful way to census troop composition because recording the troop's arrival to and dispersal from a sleep site can offer a better understanding of the whole troop, especially for species that are fission-fusion foragers. My goal was to understand sleep site selection by Alouatta palliata. Past studies suggest that howler monkeys (genus Alouatta) sleep in or near food-source trees. Alouatta species are the most folivorous of all Neotropical species with a preference for trees in the Moraceae family (e.g. Brosimum, Ficus). I predict Alouatta palliata will sleep most often in trees in the Moraceae family. This research took place at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. La Selva consists of 1,600 ha with both primary and secondary forests. This research was conducted at the start of the wet season (May and June) in 2018. I followed A. palliata to their nightly sleep site and recorded the trees they were sleeping in, at the Family level. The Family of the tree was identified with the use of the online OTS Plant Database in combination with the physical samples in the herbarium archives. I was able to record 27 nocturnal sleep sites with a total of 47 trees used for sleeping. Of the 47 trees, 18 were in the Fabaceae family (38%) and 11 were in the Moraceae family (23%). They also slept in Myristicaceae, (4%) and Malvaceae trees (2%). Fifteen sleeping trees were unidentified. Thus, my hypothesis that howler monkeys would sleep most in Moraceae, was refuted. However, Fabaceae trees are a commonly known food resource for howler monkeys, so my results are similar to prior research which found they sleep in or near food-source trees. Interestingly, I never observed them eating in the trees in which they slept.

Kristianna J. Radley - Department of Psychology, University of Utah. u1119263@utah.edu. Rebecca R. Steed - Population Science, Huntsman Cancer Institute; Department of Geography, University of Utah. Dr. Huong Meeks - Population Science, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah. Dr. Ken R. Smith - Utah Population Database, Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute; Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah. (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Smith, Ken (University of Utah, Department of Family and Consumer Studies)

How is your risk of mortality as an adult affected by your living circumstances, your family and your neighborhood that existed earlier? In the state of Utah, we have a historical collection of data on individual circumstances early in life and death records for the entire population through the Utah Population Database (UPDB). This work began by creating geographical representations of the longevity in Utah by neighborhoods based on residential location in 1940 to determine if certain areas are associated with higher, or possibly lower, adult mortality rates. The 1940 census was used because it represents the most recent census year where specific identifiers are available that allows us to follow individuals until their deaths or their current age. We found that mortality risks vary based on an individual's location residence in 1940, specifically adults living in urban areas. This research is being extended by exploring individual characteristics that may explain these spatial longevity differentials. For this work, it will also be important to explore how individual and neighborhood characteristics may interact, where certain combinations serve to either increase or decrease the risk of adult mortality. We are continuing this research by adding a third level of analysis by including a familial component in relation to mortality risk. This additional component allows us to determine if family members share a risk of mortality which might be associated with neighborhood clustering (since family members may be more likely to live near one another) or because of shared genetics. By studying all three levels of mortality risk, this research will lead to a more comprehensive assessment of the social and geographic origins of mortality risk (at the level of the individual, family, and community). This work may have the ability to identify community characteristics that will promote healthier and longer lives.

Mattei, Dustin; Angell, Emma; Truman, Savanah; Wood, Kyle; Holiday, Pam; Gonzales, Veronica; Price, Ashton (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology)

Burnout, defined by the World Health Organization as "a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed," is the Quality of Life research topic for the Institute of Social Research Team Fall 2019. A literature review of past research regarding the topic burnout has been conducted to understand the effects it has on society. The effect of burnout on college students is a subtopic of the research by the ISR Team. The research team has a survey developed and disbursed to students of Dixie State University (DSU) to gather burnout indicators among college students. The data will show how burnout affects students of different backgrounds, and if they see burnout as a normal part of their college experience. People are socialized into norms and values that represent a quality life. College students are subconsciously taught that burnout is accepted as a societal norm. Though burnout is a popular topic to discuss there are questions that remain. Does it affect aspects of their social, academic, and career life? After the survey data is gathered, sociological theories will be applied to answer the question and to gain a better understanding of burnout among DSU college students.

Farstead, Brian; Williford, Tanner; Schow, Hunter; Muldowney, John; Stewart, Victoria (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Lundwall, Rebecca (Brigham Young university, Psychology, Cognitive and Behavioral Nueroscience)

Reflexive and sustained attention are important components of daily functioning, and those who exhibit attention deficits typically have problems in school, work, and relationships. Previous studies have measured sustained and reflexive attention using different tasks with disparate stimuli. Because the stimuli are different, it is unclear how reflexive and sustained attention are related. There are some indications in the literature that individuals tend to be better at one or the other type of task.

We measured reflexive and sustained attention in a sample (N=185) of children who completed two computer tasks that recorded response time and accuracy. We developed the two tasks so that all stimuli were identical, but the reflexive attention task used peripheral stimuli and the sustained attention task used central stimuli. Parents also completed questionnaires reporting demographics (e.g., age and sex) and the child's usual sleep habits, behavior at home, and behavior at school. Asking about sleep, home behavior, and school behavior allows us to identify predictors of individual variability in computer-task scores.

We anticipated that children who have a better reflexive attention (lower response times and higher accuracy) would score lower on sustained attention. Furthermore, we expect the relationship between reflexive and sustained attention would be moderated by aspects of behavior related to sleep, home-life, and school. Determining the relationship between different components of attention is important because it will help us to understand the underlying factors that contribute to different deficits in attention. Furthermore, it is important to understand how these different components of attention manifest by age, sex, behaviors at home and behaviors in school. Understanding the relationship between reflexive and sustained attention and their association with child characteristics could potentially contribute to interventions in individuals who have symptoms of attentional deficits.

Geist, Claudia: Rodriguez, Johnny (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Geist, Claudia (Sociology, Gender Studies)

Previous research has demonstrated variation between racial and ethnic groups in the patterns of access to, and use of highly effective and long-lasting contraception. There has been a lack of research on how race and ethnicity interact with social and economic predictors of contraceptive method use. Specifically, this research project identifies the variation in the effect of social and economic factors on contraceptive use patterns across ethnic/racial groups. We use data from the HER Salt Lake initiative, a prospective study that provided family planning clients in the state of Utah with various contraceptive choices, while also removing cost barriers. We first summarize social and economic characteristics, potential barriers, and ethnic/racial group. We next replicate existing research that predict usage of effective and long-lasting contraception (IUD and Implants) as a function of social, economic, and demographic characteristics, and more importantly, whether the impact of social and economic factors on contraceptive choice varies across racial and ethnic group. In a final analytic step, this project looks at how the impact of pregnancy intentions on contraceptive method choice varies across racial/ethnic group. Preliminary findings suggest that women of color face significantly higher health care barriers (both social and economic), yet there are no significant differences in the usage of IUDs and implants. By acknowledging social and economic factors as possible barriers to health care more broadly, and contraception specifically, and highlighting racial and ethnic variation in the impact of these factors, we hope to increase access to a wide range of contraceptive choices for all consumers.

Hansen, Rebecca; Spencer, Todd; Brosi, Matt; Hubler, Daniel (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Spencer, Todd (Utah Valley University, Behavioral Science)

There has been a wealth of research examining the negative influence of stress on relationship outcomes. Additionally, research indicates the quality of communication between couples strongly influences their overall satisfaction in marriage (Fletcher, 2002). While stress has been associated with poorer communication quality among romantic partners (Bodenmann, 1997), little is known how relationship efficacy modifies that relationship. The purpose of the present study is to examine the extent relationship efficacy mediates the association between stress and communication quality. Our sample consists of 939 individuals who are between 18-70 years old and currently in a romantic relationship. Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale - short form (PSS-4; Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), Active-Empathetic Listening Scale (AELS; Bodie, 2011), and Relationship Efficacy Measure (REM; Fincham, Harold, & Gano-Phillips, 2000). Following the mediation analysis outlined by Baron and Kenny (1981), we found that relationship efficacy did mediate the relationship between stress and communication quality, F (2,901) = 111.39, p=<.001. Results provide empirical support for the potential relationship efficacy holds to ameliorate the detrimental effects of stress on communication quality among romantic partners.

Loveless, Emily; Mack, Brittney; Squire, Jenna; Turner, Haylee; Nicholls, Emily; Luke, Steven; Cabbage, Kathryn (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Luke, Steven (College of Family Home and Social Sciences, Psychology); Cabbage, Kathryn (McKay School of Education, Communication Disorders)

Language impairment affects approximately 7-9% of all children and puts children at risk for long-term negative impacts on academic performance, development of social relationships, and even vocational outcomes in adulthood (Clegg, Hollis, Mawhood, & Rutter, 2005). Preschoolers with language impairment have reduced vocabulary, use less complex oral language structures, have difficulty comprehending grammatical structures in spoken language, and poor social communication (Paul & Norbury, 2018). At present, a common recommendation to improve literacy skills in typically developing children emphasizes exposing children to stories through shared book reading from a young age. When being read a storybook, preschoolers without language impairment are more likely to focus their attention on the objects and people specifically mentioned in the text (Luke & Asplund, 2018), suggesting that they are connecting storybook images with oral language comprehension. It is unknown, however, whether children with language impairment benefit in the same way from recommended exposure to shared book reading to improve language and literacy outcomes. Prior research with older children with language impairment has shown that these children initially attend to the appropriate object or person in the text but do not sustain their attention to items that are relevant to what they're hearing (Nation, Marshall, & Altmann, 2004), suggesting they may need support learning what to attend to when integrating oral language with visual images. In this study, we aim to see if a similar pattern emerges for preschool-aged children with language impairment. This study has a strong potential to significantly improve our understanding of how to support language development processes during storybook reading, specifically with children with language impairment.

Mattei, Dustin; Angell, Emma; Truman, Savanah; Holiday, Pam; Gonzales, Veronica; Price, Ashton (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology)

As part of Dixie State University's Institute for Social Research, this paper will identify questions pertaining to burnout. Recently, the World Health Organization has deemed burnout as a recognized syndrome. Building off of this new information, the ISR is looking at the overall social acceptance of burnout and how, as a society, it teaches individuals to accept it. Through the lens of symbolic interaction, the ISR looks at how the modern age of technology is affecting this acceptance. Specifically, the modern reliance upon technology is something that is looked at as contributor. The transfer of culture through common symbols is now faster than ever with the emergence of social media platforms. These meanings are portrayed through language, pictures and even trends that reveal societies acceptance of the feelings and symptoms associated with burnout. A great example of this would be the famous picture of the "don't give up!" frog in the stork's mouth. Even though the frog is being eaten, it's still trying to choke the stork. This picture may change, but the point behind the message is always clear, one must keep going even if it seems they are done. This social acceptance of burnout through the means of social media content is one part of the multiple facets the ISR is researching under the subject of burnout.

Buchanan, Shayne; Estevez, Angel (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Chapman, Heather (Weber State University, Psychology)

Abstract:
Poverty is a major epidemic throughout the world. Being in an impoverished state is extremely difficult as it makes living that much more stressful. Those lacking the ability to attain basic needs such as food are at high risk of suffering physical and mental complications, along with environmental and social issues.
One of the biggest issues regarding poverty is the problem malnutrition presents. Among many complications that malnutrition creates, the most concerning is impairments in cognitive development. This can lead to children performing poorly in school. While malnutrition is a problem among those suffering from impoverished circumstances, there are organizations that provide some relief.
Foundations and organizations that provide such assistance include food banks, charities, and churches, etc. This alleviates some of the difficulties surrounding a life in poverty. If participants are not willing to return or do not continue receiving support for various reasons, poverty will persist. One of these reasons may be user satisfaction.
It can be difficult to know how parents and families feel about the satisfaction of certain aspects these foundations provide. Families receiving assistance from food pantries may discontinue participation if they feel their needs are not met. Satisfaction of various aspects of food is an important determinant in regards to overall usage for food banks. To identify levels of satisfaction from assistance programs, we set up a user satisfaction survey for participants to complete in order to measure their overall satisfaction. To be specific, we are measuring satisfaction of the quality, quantity, and ease of process in acquiring food from Granite Education Foundation food banks.

Smith, Mick; Desdames, Chloe (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Seaboch, Melissa (University of Utah, Anthropology)

Census and sampling work are important because they provide critical information on population size, distribution, and habitat preference — all important factors in conservation. La Selva Biological station is located on the north eastern side of Costa Rica and is a protected biological reserve. It is home to three species of primates including Alouatta palliata, commonly known as the mantled howler monkey. It is comprised of primary forest that has been undisturbed by human forces and secondary forest that is regenerating from past disturbances, such as deforestation. Past research conducted on howler monkeys shows they prefer primary forest over secondary because primary forests have higher species richness and a wider range of trees which provides food for howler monkey's selective diet. I predict that the majority of A. palliata in Costa Rica will be located in primary forest because it offers more resources. I censused 11 established trails at La Selva (two trails in primary forest, seven trails in secondary forest, and two trails crossing both forest types). For each howler monkey encountered, I recorded the location, forest type, and group size. I identified four different groups of A. palliata with group size ranging between 6-10 individuals. One group was located in primary forest and three groups in secondary forest; thus, my hypothesis that A. palliata would prefer primary forests was not supported. Anecdotally, A. palliata were observed more frequently around rivers or streams. This could indicate that rather than being concerned with primary versus secondary forest, they prefer riparian habitats found along the banks of rivers or other actively moving sources of water. A study conducted by Stoner found howler monkeys in riparian habits supporting this hypothesis. This type of research continues to provide critical information for understanding primate's habitats which helps with conservation of species.

Lin, Jade; Park, Yeram; Ross, Micah; Stark, Michael; Hansen, Marc (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Stark, Michael (Brigham Young University, Physiology and Developmental Biology); Hansen, Marc (Brigham Young University, Physiology and Developmental Biology)

Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida and anencephaly are due to incomplete closure of neural tubes in developing embryos. While the etiology is still unknown, environmental and genetic factors, toxicants, and maternal health are implicated as potential causes. Previous research shows that NTDs are associated with increased levels of ceramide (C2) and possible exposure to fumonisin (FB1), and valproic acid (VPA). We hypothesize that these molecules may interfere with cell-to-cell interactions which are important for neural tube formation. To investigate the potential mechanisms by which these toxicants can induce NTDs, I will use a well-characterized MDCK cell model treated with C2, FB1, and VPA to assess their impact on cell adhesion.

Sigulinsky, Crystal; Anderson, James; Emrich, Daniel; Rapp, Christopher; Dahal, Jeebika; Pfeiffer, Rebecca; Rapp, Kevin; Yang, Jia-Hui; Watt, Carl; Marc, Robert; Jones, Bryan (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Jones, Bryan (University of Utah, Ophthalmology/Visual Sciences)

Purpose: Mouse retina differs structurally from rabbit retina, as it is thicker and vascular, while rabbit retina is thinner and avascular. The implications of these differences on neuronal morphology and connectivity is unclear. We compare the morphology and connectivity of the Aii amacrine cell (AC) at ultrastructural precision in connectomes of mouse (RC2) and rabbit (RC1) retina.

Methods: RC1 and RC2 are 0.25 mm diameter volumes built by automated transmission electron microscopy at 2 nm/pixel resolution. RC1 is from a 13 month old, female Dutch Belted rabbit. RC2 is from a 5 month old female C57BL/6J mouse. The Viking application was used to annotate Aii ACs.

Results: Mouse Aii ACs are elongated with a prominent neck region. Lobular appendages in both species extend from the soma, neck and proximal arboreal dendrites in the OFF sublamina, forming reciprocal synapses with OFF cone bipolar cells (BCs). In rabbits, multiple arboreal dendrites emerge from the base of the neck, branch and travel obliquely through the ON sublamina, forming gap junctions with ON cone BCs, neighboring Aii ACs, and itself. They extend laterally at the base of the IPL, collecting ribbon input from rod BCs. In contrast, mouse arboreal dendrites branch from a single primary dendrite, travel vertically through the IPL with limited self-interaction, and terminate at variable depths that align with the more broadly ramified axon terminals of mouse rod BCs. Synaptology reveals greater output in the OFF vs ON layer in mouse versus rabbit. Uniquely, descending axons of mouse ON cone BCs form gap junctions with Aii AC somas.

Conclusions: Lateral expansion of rabbit Aii ACs may be attributable to eccentricity. However, morphological differences correlate with connectivity differences. Comparative anatomy connectomics is essential for understanding implications of retinal structure on neuronal morphology and connectivity underlying network differences between the mouse and rabbit.

Payne, Samuel; Paquette, Teancum; Lindgren, Caleb (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Payne, Samuel (Brigham Young University, Life Sciences)

The National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) generates comprehensive proteogenomic data for cancer cohorts. Our goal is to bring CPTAC data to researchers and the general public. A major difficulty in accomplishing this is the large amount of variability in the programming capabilities in the public. As a solution, we created a set of interactive tutorials that instructs users on exploring CPTAC data in a way that even novice programmers can understand. However, these tutorials still require software installation, which can be complicated. In order to empower more people to confidently use, access and analyze cancer data, we are making our tutorials accessible without any installation. We plan to do this by hosting the tutorials directly using a tool called Binder. In the end this project will not only improve the quality of user experience with CPTAC, but also improve the quality of their experience accessing a vast amount of cancer data.

Allen, Brian; Covey, Tracy; Davies, Don; Eccles, Nick; Farnsworth, Brian; Ferguson, Parker; Hart, Sierra; Lowder, Jordan (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Davies, Don (Weber State University, Chemistry and Biochemistry); Covey, Tracy (Weber State University, Chemistry and Biochemsitry)

Chalcones refer to biological molecules with the structure trans 1,3-diphenylprop-2-en-1-one. Biological chalcones and chalcone derivatives display anti-tumor, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties. To understand the role of the chalcone structure in tumor cessation, derivatives to the original chalcone were synthesized using aldol condensation reactions. HeLa and HEK-293 cells were treated with the synthesized chalcone and an LD50, or the concentration of chalcone required to kill half of the cells, was calculated. The LD50 was then used to determine the efficiency of the chalcone derivative. Correlations between the structure and activity suggest that a Michael reaction occurs at the cell and indicate that that an aromatic ring at C3 is likely necessary. Further research will help determine the structures of more cytotoxic compounds.

Wasden, Kayla; Suisse, David; Kaundal, Amita (faculty mentor) (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Kaundal, Amita (College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences; Plants, Soils, and Climate Department)

Many plants secrete substances to create a more favorable environment, including chemicals that kill pathogenic microbes or competing plants. Artemisia tridentata, also known as "Big Sagebrush," is prevalent in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and is known to have antimicrobial capabilities. We will study the potential antimicrobial activity of Artemisia tridentata.

Studies report that chemicals released by the leaves and branches of A. tridentata affect bacteria native to deer rumen. Another study showed that 27 actinomycetes (anaerobic bacteria that form colonies) strains found in the rhizosphere of A. tridentata demonstrated antibacterial activities when tested on E. coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Native Americans traditionally used A. tridentata to relieve stomach pain, colds, coughs, sore eyes, snake bites and as an insect repellent. Researchers found several compounds, including flavonoids, that can affect antimicrobial activity. Articles regarding antimicrobial activities in A. tridentata were published between 1967 and 2004. With the chronological gaps and considering the progress that biological and molecular technology has made in recent years, knowledge of the chemicals released by A. tridentata lies largely untapped. In this study, we will investigate the antimicrobial activities of the leaves, stem, roots, and flowers of A. tridentata initially by the agar well diffusion method and followed by validating with the agar disk diffusion method. We will check the antimicrobial activity of the extract from different plant parts of A. tridentata on common bacteria such as E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, and some Pseudomonas spp. of plant pathogens.

The knowledge obtained from this research will further help in the identification and characterization of the secondary metabolites or chemicals involved in antimicrobial activity of sagebrush. Medicinal plants provide a healthy, natural alternative to conventional medication, and may lead to new insights on antibiotics and pharmaceuticals. Besides, Artemisia tridentata is a plant native to Utah and Idaho. It grows everywhere in the surrounding area, making it inexpensive (free) to produce.