Faculty and Staff
Just like the insects he teaches about, Clyde Sorenson’s classes are intriguing, multifaceted and full of unexpected twists.
Some 10,000 students, from nonscience majors to Ph.D. students, have taken classes with Sorenson, NC State University’s winner of the 2025 UNC Board of Governors Award for Teaching Excellence. Sorenson was the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences nominee for the prestigious award, which includes special recognition, a bronze medallion and a $12,500 prize.
Sorenson, an Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor in Entomology and Plant Pathology, is a master of capturing students’ attention. For his ever-popular natural sciences course, Entomology 201: Insects and People, he wears colorful insect T-shirts, tells fascinating stories in his booming voice, cooks up mealworm hush puppies to sample and tosses out plastic “bonus bugs” for student questions.
His Entomology 201 students usually gain a new respect and appreciation for insects. Some even find a new career path, becoming entomologists themselves.
Twenty years after taking Sorenson’s 201 class, an alumna approached student Nicolas Galvez at an Entomology Club table during Packapalooza, eager to share her experiences. “These interactions aren’t uncommon,” Galvez wrote in his nomination letter to the Board of Governors. “Dr. Sorenson has reached thousands of students from every branch of academia with his teaching, mentoring, charisma and humility.”
Sorenson has developed and taught a number of other undergraduate and graduate courses. With colleagues Chris Goforth and Jerry Reynolds at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, he co-leads a citizen science project, the Carolina Ghost Hunt, to get the public’s help in searching for an unnamed firefly species in Piedmont backyards.
For Anne Lindbergh, an NC State Ph.D. student who took a Sorenson-led tour of monarch butterfly overwintering sites in Mexico, Sorenson changed her vision of a successful professor.
“In my mind, the professorial ideal is not wearing a tweed jacket in a lecture hall, but rather is ambling down a forested path, followed closely by a gaggle of eager students, binoculars in hand,” Lindbergh wrote in her nomination letter.
Sorenson, who earned three degrees at NC State – a bachelor’s in wildlife biology and master’s and doctoral degrees in entomology – found that he enjoyed teaching early in his career. He’s dedicated to mentoring graduate students in teaching and has helped establish two endowments to support teaching: the Ronald Kuhr Entomology Teaching Assistant Award Endowment, named for his mentor, and the Lee and Clyde Sorenson Entomology Teaching Assistant Endowment, with his wife.
“This prestigious award highlights Dr. Sorenson’s exceptional dedication to teaching, his innovative approaches in the classroom, and his unwavering commitment to student success,” said David Crouse, associate dean and director of CALS Academic Programs. “Dr. Sorenson’s achievement not only reflects his personal excellence but also underscores the high standards of teaching and mentorship that we strive to uphold within CALS. His contributions to our academic community are truly invaluable, and we are proud to celebrate his success.”
Crouse noted that Sorenson joins a handful of CALS teaching legends who previously received the UNC Board of Governors Award for Teaching Excellence:
“I am humbled and honored to receive this award,” Sorenson said. “It brings joy to my heart to open someone’s eyes to the wonders of life on this beautiful, troubled, endlessly fascinating planet. Insects, in their extraordinary diversity, exotic and often beautiful forms, and tremendous ecological significance in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, are the perfect gateway into a deeper appreciation for natural history.
“With insects, there are endless stories to tell! I feel truly blessed that I have been able to do what I love most for the last 27 years, and I look forward to continuing to inspire curiosity and appreciation for years to come.”