People

Jordan Price

Jordan is a Professor in the Department of Biology at St. Mary's College of Maryland. His research combines techniques from behavioral ecology and molecular phylogenetics to investigate the evolutionary histories of animal traits, especially the behaviors, sounds, and color patterns of songbirds. Besides addressing interesting biological questions, this approach provides great opportunities to involve St. Mary’s students in an integrative research program that spans a range of investigative methods, from field biology to molecular analyses.

Jordan received his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under the direction of Haven Wiley, and he conducted postdoctoral work with Scott Lanyon at the University of Minnesota. He grew up in Canada. Courses Jordan teaches at St. Mary's include Animal Behavior, Ecology & Evolution, First Year Seminar, and several other courses less regularly. Since 2008 he has also taught a summer field course at the University of Michigan Biological Station.

Here's Jordan's CV and his SMCM webpage.

Students in the Price lab have investigated a wide range of topics, listed below (* indicates undergraduate students who went on to publish their work). Most are St. Mary's students completing their year-long, senior research project (called a "St. Mary's Project"); Jordan typically mentors 5-6 of these per year. He also mentors undergraduate researchers as part of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Michigan Biological Station, as well as some graduate and undergraduate researchers at other schools.

Undergraduate Research Students

Jeremy Heath (Fall 2024-Spring 2025) St. Mary’s Project, “Effects of water depth on foot propelled diving waterbird species in the St. Mary’s River”
Alejandro Adams (Fall 2024-Spring 2025) St. Mary’s Project, “Functional comparative human anatomy: constructing an osteobiography from an unknown human skeleton” Awarded best SMP oral presentation by the Biology Department.
Joel Galarza (Fall 2024-Spring 2025) St. Mary’s Project, “Comparative analysis of eastern oyster restoration in Harris Creek and Little Choptank River”
Claire McGuinness (Fall 2024-Spring 2025) St. Mary’s Project, “Assessing the impact of dental therapies on airway breathing and health outcomes”
Ellie Cameron (Fall 2023-Spring 2024) St. Mary’s Project, “The evolution of avian iridescence from a female perspective” Awarded Best SMP Poster Presentation by the Biology Department.
Ben Springer* (Fall 2023-Spring 2024) St. Mary’s Project, “The demographics of common terns (Sterna hirundo) on a human-made staging site in the Chesapeake Bay.”
Gwen Houchens (Fall 2023-Spring 2024) St. Mary’s Project, “Exploring the effectiveness of management plans for resident Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) populations in the Atlantic flyway.”
Daniel Maier (Fall 2023-Spring 2024) St. Mary’s Project, “The distribution and abundance of feral cats (Felis catus) on a college campus.”
Katie Stolzenberger (Fall 2023-Spring 2024) St. Mary’s Project, “The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in the albatrosses (family Diomedeidae)” Recipient of the Phoenix Award: Best SMP Brought Back from the Ashes.
Judy Oshman (Spring-Fall 2023) St. Mary’s Project, “White collars have evolved multiple times in the Crows and Ravens (genus Corvus).”
Haley Morgan (Spring-Fall 2023) St. Mary’s Project, “To bask or not to bask: UVB basking preference in Green Anoles.”
Maggie Howells (Fall 2022-Spring 2023) St. Mary’s Project, “Impact of naturally applied chicken manure on soil composition” Recipient of the Phoenix Award: Best SMP Brought Back from the Ashes.
Christina Trnkus (Fall 2022-Spring 2023) St. Mary’s Project, “Responses of Mummichogs Fundulus heteroclitus to water surface agitation”
Jacob Breslauer (Fall 2021-Spring 2022) St. Mary’s Project, “Do birds eavesdrop on the alarm vocalizations of Eastern Gray Squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis?”
Elijah Michael (Fall 2021-Spring 2022) St. Mary’s Project, “Are lethal methods necessary to control invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) populations in Florida?”
Ryan Ostrowski (Fall 2021-Spring 2022) St. Mary’s Project, “What makes mating vocalizations beautiful?”
Magdalena Goodmuth* (Spring-Fall 2021) St. Mary’s Project, “Learning speed and long-term memory in adult domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)” Winner of the Flores Award. Awarded best overall St. Mary’s Project by the Biology Department.
Mariana Leyva (Summer 2021) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, University of Michigan Biological Station, “The effect of increasing global temperature on parasite-host interactions of the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater).”
Kathryn Burcham (Fall 2020-Spring 2021) St. Mary’s Project, “Effects of white-tailed deer management on forest regeneration and diversity” Winner of the Marlay Award. The project was supported by a grant from Sigma Xi.
Rustin Pare* (Fall 2020-Spring 2021) St. Mary’s Project, “Examining the vocal interactions between male and female Carolina wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus)” Presented a poster at the 2021 Maryland Ornithological Society annual meeting and the 2021 American Ornithological Society meeting. Won the award for Best Undergraduate Presentation at the AOS conference.
Mira Willson* (Fall 2020-Spring 2021) St. Mary’s Project, “The loss of female vocal complexity and duetting behavior in the ancestors of Carolina wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus)” Presented a poster at the 2021 Maryland Ornithological Society annual meeting and the 2021 American Ornithological Society meeting.
Gloria Lewis (Fall 2020-Spring 2021) St. Mary’s Project, “The evolution of egg spots in Cichlidae: roles of mouthbrooding and oral fertilization techniques.”
Ben Holt (Fall 2020-Spring 2021) St. Mary’s Project, “Context-specific risk assessment by gray squirrels when approached by human pedestrians.”
Cody Pham* (Summer 2020) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, University of Michigan Biological Station, “Climate mediated changes in interactions among Wood warbler species.”
Bert Estes (Summer 2020) St. Mary’s Project, “Will the addition of essential amino acids affect the growth rate of Galaxea fascicularis?”
Sok Say (Fall 2019-Spring 2020) St. Mary’s Project, “Mitigating the environmental and socio-economic damage caused by mismanaged plastic waste”
Erich Wuesthoff (Fall 2019-Spring 2020) St. Mary’s Project, “Red meat consumption: health, ethics, and environment”
Megan Smith (Spring 2019-Spring 2020) St. Mary’s Project, “An inspired approach to preventing iron deficient anemia”
Lloyd Willis (Summer 2019) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, University of Michigan Biological Station, “The effects of climate change on future interactions among Wood Warbler species (Parulidae)”
Tanner Lowe (Spring 2019-Fall 2019) St. Mary’s Project, “Eye of the tetra: losses and gains in the evolution of cave fish”
Timon Lee (Spring 2019-Fall 2019) St. Mary’s Project, “Evolved this way: what homosexuality reveals about evolutionary fitness”
Caleb Bailey (Spring 2019-Fall 2019) St. Mary’s Project, “The effect of a nuclear power plant on osprey distribution”
Pat O’Leary (Fall 2018-Spring 2019). St. Mary’s Project, “Determining the pedagogical value of virtual and physical lab experiments in high school curricula”
Karolyn Garcia* (Fall 2018-Spring 2019) St. Mary’s Project, “Females changes explain rapid losses of sexual dichromatism in New World Blackbirds.” Presented a poster at the Maryland Ornithological Society annual meeting.
Sarah Schaefer (Fall 2018-Spring 2019) St. Mary’s Project, “What's happening to my body? Documenting development of sexually dimorphic striping in Fundulus majalis”
Frank Gaines (Fall 2018) St. Mary’s Project, “Comparative study on the dispersal and management the monk parakeet”
Miriam Finley (Fall 2017-Fall 2018) St. Mary’s Project, “Altruism in nature: an anthology”
Samantha Maquire (Fall 2017-Spr 2018) St. Mary’s Project, “The effects of soil composition and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herbivory on vegetation growth”
Alyssa Smith (Fall 2017-Spring 2018) St. Mary’s Project, “The role of the gastrointestinal microbiome in Crohn’s disease: developing an treatment plan”
Katie Williams (Fall 2017-Spring 2018) St. Mary’s Project, “Evolution of case building behavior in caddisflies (Trichoptera)”
Erica Hobbs (Fall 2017-Spring 2018) St. Mary’s Project, “Narrowing down the cause of host expansion of an invasive parasite: Loxothylacus panopaei”
Michael Rowley (Summer 2017) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, University of Michigan Biological Station, “The relationship between temperature and vocal performance in pine warblers”
Rebecca Hammersla (Fall 2016-Spring 2017) St. Mary’s Project, “Modeling the impact of sea ice loss on arctic species”
Jennifer Heflin (Fall 2016-Spring 2017) St. Mary’s Project, “Reconstructing the evolution of male and female nest-building behaviors in Australian passerines” Awarded Best Oral Presentation by the Biology Department.
Danielle Owens (Fall 2016-Spring 2017) St. Mary’s Project, “Behavioral effects of the parasite Loxothylacus panopaei on the black-fingered mud crab (Panopeus herbstii)”
Leslie Malick (Fall 2016-Spring 2017) St. Mary’s Project, “Territoriality of the Common Loon Wintering on the St. Mary's River”
Brendon Kendall (Fall 2014-Spring 2015) St. Mary’s Project, “Testing the effects of three types of artificial lights on the growth of hard and soft coral”
Joseph Piegols (Fall 2014-Spring 2015) St. Mary’s Project, “Effect of prenatal atrazine exposure on mate preferences in female guppies (Poecilia reticulata)”
Irene Baumler (Fall 2014-Spring 2015) St. Mary’s Project, “A multilevel approach to understanding piping plover nesting behavior and implications for conservation efforts”
Rheanne Denny (Fall 2014-Spring 2015) St. Mary’s Project, “A comparison of aggressive displays in two color morphs of the eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis”
Rebecca Wenker (Fall 2014-Spring 2015) St. Mary’s Project, “Reassessment of management strategies for the Great Barrier Reef: a functional group approach”
Kristen Colandrea (Fall 2013-Spring 2014) St. Mary’s Project, “The effects of social experience on aggregation in Danio rerio.”
Karlene Happell (Fall 2013-Spring 2014) St. Mary’s Project, “Do white-tailed deer use different snort types in response to predators?”
Seanna Hunt (Fall 2012-Spring 2014) St. Mary’s Project, “How to protect honeybees: understanding and combatting Colony Collapse Disorder.”
Alison Everett (Spring 2013-Fall 2013) St. Mary’s Project, “Use of foot thumping for communication in the Mongolian Gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus.”
Dalton Yohn (Fall 2012-Spring 2013) St. Mary’s Project, “Effects of social cues on foraging behavior in North American vultures.”
Cecilia Blanc (Fall 2012-Spring 2013) St. Mary’s Project, “The Darwinian paradox: the evolution of homosexuality.”
Mark Lehtonen (Fall 2012-Spring 2013) St. Mary’s Project, “An investigation of orientation cues in the littoral isopod Ligia exotica.” Awarded best student-initiated SMP.
Katherine Garbart (Spring 2012-Fall 2012) St. Mary’s Project, never finished in biology. Continued in Ed Studies.
Scott Johnson (Fall 2011-Fall 2012) St. Mary’s Project, “Disturbance and its effect on avian populations on New Providence Island Bahamas.”
Omar Bonilla (Summer 2012) Frontier’s Masters Program, University of Michigan Biological Station. “Detection of sap accumulation in the paper birch (Betula papyrifera) by the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)”
Katelyn Heydt (Fall 2011-Spring 2012) St. Mary’s Project, “A Comparison of the AZA and EAZA Giraffe Husbandry Manuals to Improve the Welfare of Captive Giraffes (Giraffidae cameloparidalis)”
Miranda Marvel (Fall 2011-Spring 2012) St. Mary’s Project, “An Analysis of Color Vision in Cephalopods”
Kelsey Wood (Spring 2011-Spring 2012) St. Mary’s Project, “Are White-Tailed Deer Prejudiced?” supported by a grant from Bass Pro Shops.
Christopher Crawford* (Summer 2011), Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, University of Michigan Biological Station, “Song variation along a latitudinal gradient in a songbird.”
Dietrich Epp-Schmidt (Fall 2010-Spring 2011), St. Mary’s Project, “The evolution of syllable repetition patterns in the Mimidae.”
Natasha Hagemeyer* (Fall 2010), University of Maryland Baltimore County, Independent Research Project “Song comparison of Orchard and Fuertes’ Orioles: incomplete song divergence between recently diverged taxa.”
Anna Kasicki (Summer 2010-Fall 2010), St. Mary’s Project, “Evolution of Shell Microstructure in Venerid Clams.”
Emily Myron (Fall 2009-Spring 2010), St. Mary’s Project, “Caterpillar Cognitive Capacity: Learning and Memory Retention in Manduca sexta.”
Karim Hemady (Fall 2009-Spring 2010), St. Mary’s Project, “Niche Partitioning in Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) and Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus).” The project was supported by a grant from the Maryland Ornithological Society.
Lydia Zweimiller (Fall 2009-Spring 2010), St. Mary’s Project, “A local song dialect in the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus).” The project was supported by a grant from the Maryland Ornithological Society.
Dan Brown (Fall 2009-Spring 2010), St. Mary’s Project, “The effect of prey type on intraspecific kleptoparasitism: Empirically evaluating a game theory model.”
Paul Parzynski (Fall 2009-Spring 2010), St. Mary’s Project, “A multi-generational study of fluctuating asymmetry in white-tailed deer.”
Brianne Carrol (Fall 2009-Spring 2010), St. Mary’s Project, “Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine.” Awarded best library SMP project by the Biology Department.
Alex Arguello (Spring 2007-Spring 2008), St. Mary’s Project, “Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the rudis species complex of the ant genus Aphenogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).” Winner of the Geneva Boone Award.
Mary Clapp* (Fall 2007-Spring 2008), St. Mary’s Project, “A molecular phylogeny of the croakers and drums (Scianidae).”
Rachel Clement (Fall 2007-Spring 2008), St. Mary’s Project, “Parachuting behavior in the strawberry poison dart frog, Dendrobates pumilio.”
Doug Decker (Fall 2007-Spring 2008), St. Mary’s Project, “Water quality and waterbird distributions in the St. Mary’s River.” Winner of the Geneva Boone Award.
Luke Whalen* (Fall 2007-Spring 2008), St. Mary’s Project, “Reconstructing plumage evolution in the oropendolas and caciques.”
Dustin Riechard* (Fall 2006-Spring 2007), St. Mary’s Project, “Vocal recognition of conspecifics in northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos).” Winner of the Marlay Award. The project was supported by a grant from the Maryland Ornithological Society. Awarded a Marcia Brady Tucker Travel Award to present a talk at the American Ornithologists’ Union Meeting in Laramie, WY, in Aug 2007.
Daniel Phipps (Fall 2006-Spring 2007), St. Mary’s Project, “White-tailed deer density and implications for herd management in St Mary's City, MD.”
Amelia Fort (Spring 2006-Spring 2007), St. Mary’s Project, “Response of fish to bioluminescence in the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi.” The project was supported by a grant from Sigma Xi.
Erica Markiewicz (Spring 2006-Spring 2007), St. Mary’s Project, “Does nesting with ospreys benefit house sparrows and starlings?” Received a grant from the International Osprey Foundation.
Stephanie Reiner (Spring 2006-Spring 2007), St. Mary’s Project, “Changes in vitellogenin production with age in male fish.”
Megan Stallman (Spring 2006-Fall 2006), St. Mary’s Project. “Response of male red-winged blackbirds to fast and slow trills.” The project was supported by a grant from Sigma Xi and from Faculty Development Funds.
Nick Friedman* (Fall 2005-Spring 2006), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “A reconstruction of vocal evolution in Orioles (Icterus)”. The project was supported by a grant from Sigma Xi.
David Yuan* (Fall 2005-Spring 2006), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “Repertoire size and song sharing in Tropical Mockingbirds (Mimus gilvus)”. Winner of the Geneva Boone Award and awarded best oral presentation by the Biology Department. Presented a poster at the Animal Behavior Society Meeting in Snowbird, UT, August 2006.
Agnes Balla (Fall 2005-Spring 2006), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “The genetic modification of crops: An analysis of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) corn in the United States and it's potentials in developing countries”.
Katie O’Hara (Fall 2005-Spring 2006), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “The environmental impact of genetically modified crops in comparison to conventional crops and farming practices.”
Shermaine Mitchell (Fall 2005-Spring 2006), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “Speaking out on the silent killer: Hypertension in the African American community.”
Jennie Niewood (Fall 2004-Spring 2005), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “The function of call overlapping behavior in Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis)”. Winner of the Geneva Boone Award. Presented a poster at the annual Maryland Ornithological Society meeting in Solomons, MD, May 20, 2005.
Stephanie Thompson* (Fall 2004-Spring 2005), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “Water quality and foraging behavior in wintering Common Loons (Gavia immer)”. Winner of the Geneva Boone Award and awarded best oral presentation by the Biology Department. Presented a poster at the annual Maryland Ornithological Society meeting in Solomons, MD, May 2005 and at the American Ornithologists’ Union Meeting in Santa Barbara, CA, in July 2005.
Kristin Farley (Fall 2004-Spring 2005), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “Conserving endangered fauna and their habitats: A comparative study of four national parks in Australia and the United States”. Awarded best poster presentation for a library project.
Trina Fisher (Spring 2004-Spring 2005), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “A critical analysis of the umbrella species concept in conservation biology”
Patrick McConnell (Spring 2004-Spring 2005), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “Biological perspectives on consciousness: a conceptual framework”
Becky Cramer* (Spring 2004-Fall 2005), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “Vocal performance and responses to different song types in red-winged blackbirds”. The project was supported by grants from the Maryland Ornithological Society and from Sigma Xi. It was also a featured story in “The Mulbery Tree”. Awarded best laboratory project by the Biology Department. Awarded a Marcia Brady Tucker Travel Award to present a poster of her work at the American Ornithologists’ Union Meeting in Santa Barbara, CA, in July 2005. Earlier work in summer 2003 was supported by the Weitzel Summer Research Program.
Mitch Stanton (Fall 2003-Spring 2004), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “Dealing with an invasive species: the mute swan (Cygnus olor) in the Chesapeake Bay”
Jessica Costantino (Fall 2003-Spring 2004), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “A comparison of a molecular-based phylogeny with vertebral data in the thorny catfish family (Dorididae)”
Jessica Goldstein (Fall 2003-Spring 2004), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “A morphological revision of the tiger moth genus Syntomeida (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Arctiidae: Arctiinae: Euchromiini)”. Done in collaboration with Rebecca Simmons, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA. Awarded best oral presentation by the Biology Dept.
Sarah Earnshaw* (Fall 2003-Spring 2004), St. Mary’s Project, Project Title: “Song contests and vocal evolution in the Montezuma oropendola, Psarocolius montezuma” Winner of the Geneva Boone Award and awarded best oral presentation by the Biology Department. Presented a poster at the annual Maryland Ornithological Society meeting in Chestertown, MD, June 12, 2004.

Graduate Students (as external committee member)

Madeline Palmquist (2024-present), M.S. candidate, Loyola University. Project title: “Using bioacoustics to assess the impact of hybrid cattail (Typha × glauca) harvesting on bird occupancy at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge”
Roberto Sosa (2013-2014), Ph.D. candidate, University of Windsor. Project Title: “Vocal behavior, geographic variation, and the evolution of song in Troglodytes wrens” (defense, January 21, 2014)
Jacob Armiger (2011-2014), M.S. candidate, Villanova University. Project Title: “Genetic mating system and reproductive skew in the Yucatan Wren (Campylorhynchus yucatanicus)” (preliminary exam, March 2011; Defense June 2014)
Nicholas Friedman (2009-2013), Ph.D. candidate, University of Maryland Baltimore County. Project Title: “Examining the evolution of carotenoid pigmentation in the New World blackbirds” (preliminary exam, Dec 2009; defense Jan 2013)
Karan Odom (2011-2012), Ph.D. candidate, University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Rae Sturge (2008-2012), Ph.D. candidate, University of Maryland Baltimore County. Project Title: “Recent divergence in the Orchard Oriole complex: using song and molecular genetics to understand species boundaries and speciation” (preliminary exam, Dec 2008; meeting on March 2010)
Chris Hofmann (2003-2007), Ph.D. candidate, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Project Title: “Phylogenetic and ecological influences on New World oriole plumage coloration”, doctoral committee member. (preliminary exam, Dec 2003; doctoral defense, March 2007)
Beatrice Kondo (2002-2006), Ph.D. candidate, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Project Title: “Evolution of migration and plumage in New World orioles”, doctoral committee member. (preliminary exam, July 2002; doctoral defense, April 2006)

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