Spotlight on CASL Staff Member Corey Lambert

September 2, 2022

Enjoy the following Q&A with Corey Lambert, Physical Science Laboratory Manager, Department of Natural Sciences.

Name:  Corey Lambert     
Position:  Physical Science Laboratory Manager
Years at UM-Dearborn: 10 years in January 2023

What does a typical workday look like for you? 

A typical day for me begins at 7 am when I go through the labs to make sure everything is all set for the day.  My staff and I completely flip the weekly labs in General Chemistry, General Physics, Organic Chemistry, and we provide assistance for the advanced chemistry classes by making solutions, preparing glassware, etc.  I then make up a work list for items that need to be done by my student assistants, who are tremendously helpful and appreciated for the work that they do.  The mornings usually consist of taking care of problems that may have arisen in the labs or updating a spreadsheet of items that have been ordered for the department.  All packages that come into the department come through me, and usually arrive around noon.  I then distribute those to their rightful owners.  Later in the day, I am able to catch up on emails and plan for the next day and provide support for the afternoon labs.  Fridays, I often help with the weekly turnover (flip) of the labs.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I personally enjoy interacting with the students.  Usually if someone is coming to see me, they tend to have a problem.  My biggest personal goal is to help people.  If I can help someone, then I know that I am doing my job.

What was your first job?

My very first job was working as a life guard at a water park right before college.

What do you do to relax?

I have two main hobbies to relax.  I enjoy word and number puzzles such as crosswords, Sudoku, logic puzzles, Wordle, Quordle, Nerdle as a quiet time to relax.  To release stress and do something more physical, I participate in the Korean karate style Tang Soo Do.

If you could have any one skill or talent that you don’t already have, what would it be?

I wish that I had a musical “ear”.  I can theoretically learn how to play an instrument by learning notes, but I have yet to be able to put feeling into music.

What’s the proudest moment of your life?

My marriage to my great wife, the births of my daughters, and then seeing my daughters go to college and beginning their lives doing what they want to do.

If we were to create a UM-Dearborn playlist, what song would you want to include?

On top of the World by Imagine Dragons

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I have a collection of martial arts weapons (mostly blunt trauma) hanging on my wall in my basement, and I am looking to expand.

What’s one thing you wish you had known when you were a teenager?

That talking to people would get easier.  I was very quiet as a teenager.