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Last updated February 2010

J. JORDAN PRICE
Associate Professor of Biology
Department of Biology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, MD 20686
Phone: (240) 895-2216; Fax: (240) 895-4996; Email: jjprice@smcm.edu

Education:

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (1998) Ph.D. in Biology

Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (1990) B.Sc.H. in Biology, B.A. in Psychology

Professional Positions:

Associate Professor, Department of Biology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland (2008-present)

Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland (2002-2008)

Postdoctoral Associate, Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota (1999-2002)

Visiting Instructor, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina (1998-1999)

Research Interests:

Animal communication; Evolution of animal behavior; Molecular phylogenetics; Ornithology

Academic Honors and Awards:

National Science Foundation Research Opportunity Awards (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)

Norton T. Dodge Award for Creative and Scholarly Achievement by a Junior Faculty Member (2007)

SMCM Faculty Development Grants (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)

On-Campus Dissertation Fellowship, University of North Carolina (1997)

Travel and Research Awards, University of North Carolina, Dept of Biology (1994, 1996, 1997)

H. V. Wilson Scholarships, University of North Carolina (1993, 1995, 1996)

Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research Award (1993, 1995)

Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund, American Museum of Natural History (1993)

Courses Taught:

St. Mary’s College of Maryland (2002-present):

Animal Behavior, Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates, Contemporary Bioscience, Ecology and Evolution, Genetics Laboratory, Molecular Evolution, Principles of Biology Laboratory, Tropical Biology

University of Michigan Biological Station (Summers 2008, 2009):

Natural History and Evolution

University of North Carolina (1998-1999):

Animal Behavior, Vertebrate Anatomy and Evolution

Teaching Assistant, University of North Carolina (1991-1999):

Animal Behavior, Human Anatomy, Vertebrate Field Zoology, Vertebrate Anatomy and Evolution

Publications: (* indicates undergraduate coauthor)

Price, J. J., and L. M. Whalen*. 2009. Plumage evolution in the oropendolas and caciques: different divergence rates in polygynous and monogamous taxa. Evolution 63: 2985-2998.

Price, J. J. 2009. Evolution and life history correlates of female song in the New World blackbirds. Behavioral Ecology 20: 967-977.

Price, J. J., S. M. Lanyon and K. E. Omland. 2009. Losses of female song with changes from tropical to temperate breeding in the New World blackbirds. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 276: 1971-1980.

Kiere*, L. M., C. M. Hofmann, J. J. Price, T. W. Cronin and K. E. Omland. 2009. Discrete evolutionary color changes in caciques suggest different modes of carotenoid evolution between closely related taxa. Journal of Avian Biology 40: 605-613.

Reichard*, D. G., and J. J. Price. 2008. Species recognition in a vocal mimic: repetition pattern not the only cue used by Northern Mockingbirds in discriminating songs of conspecifics and Brown Thrashers. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120: 717-724.

Price, J. J., L. Yunes-Jiménez*, M. Osorio-Beristain, K. E. Omland and T. G. Murphy. 2008. Sex-role reversal in song? Females sing more frequently than males in the Streak-backed Oriole. Condor 110: 387-392.

Price, J. J. 2007. The secret lives above us. River Gazette 7(6): 15.

Price, J. J., N. R. Friedman* and K. E. Omland. 2007. Song and plumage evolution in the New World orioles (Icterus) show similar lability and convergence in patterns. Evolution 61: 850-863 (featured on cover).

Cramer*, E. R. A., and J. J. Price. 2007. Red-winged blackbirds Ageliaus phoeniceus respond differently to song types with different performance levels. Journal of Avian Biology 38: 122-127.

Thompson*, S. A., and J. J. Price. 2006. Water clarity and diving behavior in wintering Common Loons. Waterbirds 290: 169-175.

Price, J. J., S. M. Earnshaw* and M. S. Webster. 2006. Montezuma oropendolas modify a component of song constrained by body size during vocal contests. Animal Behaviour 71: 799-807.

Price, J. J., K. P. Johnson, S. Bush and D. H. Clayton. 2005. Phylogenetic relationships of the Papuan Swiftlet and implications for the evolution of avian echolocation. Ibis 147: 790-796.

Price, J. J. 2005. Bad advice for hunters. Washington Post, Letters to the Editor, November 21.

Price, J. J., and S. M. Lanyon. 2004. Patterns of song evolution and sexual selection in the oropendolas and caciques. Behavioral Ecology 15: 485-497.

Price, J. J., K. P. Johnson and D. H. Clayton. 2004. The evolution of echolocation in swiftlets. Journal of Avian Biology 35: 135-143.

Price, J. J., and S. M. Lanyon. 2004. Song and molecular data identify congruent but novel affinities of the Green Oropendola. Auk 121: 224-229.

Price, J. J. 2004. Song patterns and species relationships in the oropendolas. Interpretive Birding 5(3): 39-40.

Price, J. J. 2003. Communication with shared call repertoires in the cooperatively breeding Stripe-backed Wren. Journal of Field Ornithology 74: 166-171.

Price, J. J., and S. M. Lanyon. 2002. Reconstructing the evolution of complex bird song in the oropendolas. Evolution 56: 1514-1529.

Price, J. J., and S. M. Lanyon. 2002. A robust molecular phylogeny of the oropendolas: polyphyly revealed by mitochondrial sequence data. Auk 119: 335-348 (featured on cover).

Price, J. J., and R. H. Wiley. 2000. Duets and drawls. Natural History 109(2): 50-53.

Price, J. J. 1999. Recognition of family-specific calls in stripe-backed wrens. Animal Behaviour 57: 483-492.

Price, J. J. 1998. Acoustic communication in a cooperative songbird: transmission, recognition, and use of shared call repertoires. Doctoral Dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.

Price, J. J. 1998. Family- and sex-specific vocal traditions in a cooperatively breeding songbird. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 265: 497-502.

Presentations at Scientific Meetings: (* indicates undergraduate collaborator)

Oral presentations:

Price, J. J., S. M. Lanyon and K. E. Omland. The evolution of female song in the New World blackbirds. American Ornithologists’ Union, Philadelphia, PA, August 2009.

Omland, K. E., J. J. Price, S. M. Lanyon, C. M. Hofmann, N. R. Friedman, B. Kondo, F. Jacobson. Temperate zone biases in studies of sexual dimorphism: phylogenetic studies of plumage and song evolution in New World orioles. American Ornithologists’ Union, Philadelphia, PA, August 2009.

Hofmann, C. M., Kiere*, L. M., , J. J. Price, T. W. Cronin and K. E. Omland. Carotenoid evolution in caciques and orioles: two very different patterns of color evolution. American Ornithologists’ Union, Philadelphia, PA, August 2009.

Price, J. J., N. R. Friedman* and K. E. Omland. Song and plumage evolution in the New World orioles show similar lability and convergence in patterns. American Ornithologists’ Union, Laramie, WY, August 2007.

Reichard*, D. and J. J. Price. Conspecific recognition by song in Northern Mockingbirds. American Ornithologists’ Union, Laramie, WY, August 2007.

Price, J. J., N. R. Friedman* and K. E. Omland. Song evolution in the New World orioles. Animal Behavior Society, Burlington, VT, July 2007.

Price, J. J., and E. R. A. Cramer*. Vocal performance influences male response to song in red-winged blackbirds. Animal Behavior Society, Snowbird, UT, August 2006.

Price, J. J., K. P. Johnson, S. Bush and D. H. Clayton. Relationships of the Papuan Swiftlet and the evolution of avian echolocation. American Ornithologists’ Union, Santa Barbara, CA, August 2005.

Price, J. J., S. M. Earnshaw*, and M. S. Webster. Montezuma oropendolas emphasize aspects of song constrained by body size during vocal contests. American Ornithologists’ Union, Quebec City, Quebec, August 2004.

Price, J. J., K. P. Johnson and D. H. Clayton. The evolution of echolocation in swiftlets. Animal Behavior Society, Boise, ID, July 2003.

Price, J. J., and S. M. Lanyon. Reconstructing patterns in the evolution of complex bird song. International Society for Behavioral Ecology, Montreal, Quebec, July 2002.

Price, J. J., and S. M. Lanyon. The evolution of stereotypy in bird song: Patterns of song evolution in the oropendolas. American Ornithologists’ Union, Seattle, WA, August 2001.

Price, J. J., and S. M. Lanyon. Reconstructing song evolution in the oropendolas: The evolution of stereotypy, Animal Behavior Society, Corvallis, OR, July 2001.

Price, J. J., and S. M. Lanyon. Extracting phylogenetic information from complex vocal displays: What's a character? American Ornithologists’ Union, St. John's, Newfoundland, August 2000.

Price, J. J. Lineage- and sex-specific call repertoires in the cooperatively breeding stripe-backed wren. Animal Behavior Society, College Park, MD, June 1997.

Price, J. J. Recognition of neighbors by stripe-backed wrens: A species with group-specific call repertoires. Animal Behavior Society, Flagstaff, AZ, August 1996.

Poster presentations:

Yunes-Jiménez*, L., A. Nava Bolaños, and J. J. Price. Rebelión de las hembras en aves. ¡Ellas también cantan! V encuentro de la participación de la mujer en la ciencia (Women in Science Conference), León, Guanajuato, Mexico, May 2008.

Kiere*, L. M., C. M. Hofmann, J. J. Price, T. W. Cronin, and K. E. Omland. Reconstructing evolution of cacique carotenoid color. American Ornithologists’ Union, Laramie, WY, August 2007.

Yuan*, D. H., and J. J. Price. Repertoire size and song sharing in tropical mockingbirds. Animal Behavior Society, Snowbird, UT, August 2006.

Cramer*, E. R. A., and J. J. Price. Response to song types with different performance levels in red-winged blackbirds. American Ornithologists’ Union, Santa Barbara, CA, August 2005.

Thompson*, S. A. and J. J. Price. Water quality and diving behavior in wintering Common Loons (Gavia immer). American Ornithologists’ Union, Santa Barbara, CA, August 2005.

Niewood*, J. and J. J. Price. The function of call overlapping behavior in Carolina chickadees. Maryland Ornithological Society, Solomons, MD, May 2005.

Thompson*, S. A., and J. J. Price. Water quality and foraging behavior in wintering Common Loons (Gavia immer). Maryland Ornithological Society, Solomons, MD, May 2005.

Earnshaw*, S. M. and J. J. Price. Song contests and vocal evolution in the Montezuma Oropendola. Maryland Ornithological Society, Chestertown, MD, June 2004.

Invited Lectures:

Cornell University, Laboratory of Ornithology (February 2009)
"The evolution of female song in New World blackbirds"

Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology & Behavior (February 2009)
"A history of blackbirds: reconstructing the evolution of song and color patterns in the orioles, caciques and oropendolas"

University of Michigan Biological Station (July 2008)
"Reconstructing the evolution of bird song in the New World blackbirds"

National Science Foundation, Evolution of Motor Patterns Workshop (June 2007)
"A phylogenetic perspective on avian song patterns"

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Darwin Day Seminar (February 2006)
"A valentine for Darwin: why his ideas are still important today"

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Faculty Laurels Dinner (January 2006)
"Poker and scientific scholarship"

Virginia Society of Ornithology (April 2005)
"A family affair: communication in a cooperatively breeding bird"

University of Mary Washington (April 2005)
"The phylogeny of bird sounds"

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, NSM Colloquium Series (November 2004)
"The phylogeny of bird song"

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, The Faculty Seminar (March 2004)
"A brief history of bird song: reconstructing the evolution of avian sounds"

Hood College, Frederick, MD (March 2004)
"Reconstructing the evolution of bird sounds"

Southern Maryland Audubon Society (Nov, 2003)
"A family affair: communication in a cooperatively breeding wren"

Smithsonian National Zoo, Department of Conservation Biology (March 2003)
"Reconstructing the evolution of bird song using molecular sequence data"

University of Maryland Baltimore County (March 2003)
"Vocal evolution in oropendolas and caciques"

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Department of Biology (Feb 2003)
"Wildlife conservation and wren family traditions on the Venezuelan savanna"

Bell Museum of Natural History (March 2002)
"Vocal evolution in oropendolas and caciques"

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Department of Biology (Dec 2001)
"Reconstructing the nature and nurture of bird song using molecular tools"

University of Minnesota, Biological Basis of Behavior Seminar Series (April 2001)
"Vocal evolution in oropendolas"

University of Minnesota, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior (November 2000)
"Family traditions in a Venezuelan wren"

The Chapel Hill Bird Club, Chapel Hill, NC (January 1999)
"Wildlife of the Venezuelan llanos"

University of North Carolina, Department of Biology (Spring 1997)
"Cultural transmission in birds and humans"

Duke University, Triangle Behavior Seminar (Fall 1995)
"Group-specific call repertoires in stripe-backed wrens"

Selected Professional Service (2002-present):

On SMCM campus:

College Evaluation Committee (Sept 2009-present)

Environmental Studies Steering Committee (August 2009-present)

Biology Representative for the Faculty Senate (2006-2008)

Faculty Issues Committee (2005-2008)

Natural Science and Math Colloquium Committee (2005-2008)

Faculty Advisor for Rho Gamma Chapter of the BBB Biological Honor Society (2004-2008)

Institutional Review Board Committee (2003-2008)

Campus Sustainability Committee (2006-2008)

Co-leader of First Year Teachers’ Seminars (2006-2007)

Academic Policy Committee (2003-2005)

Doctoral Committee Member for four graduate students at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (2002-present)

Professional Accomplishments and Evaluation Committee, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution (2009)

Panelist for the National Science Foundation Workshop on Motor Pattern Evolution (2007)

Grant Proposal Reviewer for the National Science Foundation (2007)

Awards Committee for the Marcia Brady Tucker Travel Award and Student Presentation Awards, American Ornithologists’ Union (2005, 2007)

Committee on Undergraduate Faculty, American Ornithologists’ Union (2006-present)

Manuscript reviewer for various journals: Animal Behaviour, The Auk, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, The Condor, Evolution, Ethology, Journal of Avian Biology, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

Selected Media Appearances:

“Icterids' colors and songs”, Birding magazine, by Paul Hess (November, 2009)

“To sing or not to sing”, Science News magazine, by Susan Milius (August 17, 2009)

Two interviews on the radio program Pulse of The Planet (broadcast 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008)

“Bird findings fly in the face of traditional wisdom”, River Gazette, by Jennifer Fossell O’Sullivan (April-May, 2006)

“Learning to listen”, Science News magazine, by Sid Perkins (May 14, 2005)

Interview on the television show Environmental Journal (broadcast April 6, 2002)

“The royal family revealed”, Endeavors Magazine, by Catherine House (October, 1998)

“Wrens practice 'sex-specific' learning”, Environmental News Network, by Debarah Iselin ( May 4, 1998)

Interview on WUNC, Chapel Hill Public Radio, NC (broadcast April 28, 1998)

“Wren families stay in tune”, New York Times, Science Times, by J. Jennings Moss (April 21, 1998)

“UNC researcher says wrens may use calls to indicate sex, kinship”, Durham Herald-Sun, by Dave Williamson (April 20, 1998)

“The call of the wren”, ABC News, by Mark Baumgartner (April 16, 1998)

“He sings Dad's songs; she sings Mom's”, Science News magazine, by Susan Milius (March 28, 1998)