TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD TYSON SORENSEN

College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences

Tyson Sorensen is currently an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education at Utah State University. His primary role is teaching; Tyson teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, and directs the pre-service agricultural education program. Tyson loves to teach and mentor students in whatever setting that happens to be. Tyson often shares with others that the four most enjoyable parts of his job include visiting and mentoring student teachers out in the high school classrooms, developing and conducting faculty-led study abroad programs, working with pre-service teachers preparing to go out and teach, and mentoring students engaged in the research process. He has received numerous awards throughout his career for excellence in teaching, mentorship, and research. Some of these awards include USDA Early Career Excellence in College and University Teaching in Food and Agricultural Sciences Award, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year Award, Western Region of the American Association for Agricultural Education Outstanding Early Career Award, and USU’s Secondary Education Outstanding Supervisor Award.

Tyson is originally from Idaho where he grew up on a dairy farm and developed his passion for agriculture. He attended Utah State University where he earned both B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agricultural Education. After graduating from USU, he taught high school agriculture for seven years in Mesa, Arizona. Tyson was later hired as a faculty instructor in the Agricultural Education department at Oregon State University while he completed his Ph.D. work. He received a Ph.D. in Science Education from Oregon State University in 2015. His dissertation focused on the work and family interface of agriculture teachers and its influence on teacher turnover. Currently, Tyson’s research focuses on attracting, developing, and retaining the next generation of agricultural scientists and STEM area professionals.