Kelly Lambert’s first teaching job might not be what you would expect. She didn’t get paid, and her first students were her parents.

“I was a first-generation college student who lived at home, and every night at the dinner table, I would talk about what I learned that day,” Lambert said. “My parents would hold up a fork like it was a microphone as I taught them about the brain.”

She soon traded the dinner table for a classroom, and more than 30 years later, the renowned behavioral neuroscientist is among three professors in the running for one of the most prestigious teaching awards in the country.

Lambert, a behavioral neuroscientist, is the only faculty east of the Mississippi to be selected as a finalist for Baylor University’s 2024 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching. This $250,000 national award is the single largest monetary reward presented by a college or university.

“Many major awards focus on research and scholarship, which are critically important, but it’s wonderful that there’s an award that acknowledges teaching, my personal biggest return on investment,” Lambert said.

Lambert said she particularly enjoys seeing the potential in students who then go on to do great things.

“My favorite tool of teaching is storytelling,” Lambert said. “I feel like I’ve been most successful when students leave my class and tell someone else a story about what they’ve learned. That means what I’m sharing has clicked and piqued their curiosity.”

Lambert also strives to find a balance between high expectations and giving students a safe space to stumble.

“If everything goes exactly the way you want to go, it doesn’t take a lot of brain power. The brain pays attention when there’s a challenge or something unexpected, so I believe strongly in failing forward and reflecting on experiences,” Lambert said.

As a Cherry Award finalist, Lambert received $15,000 as well as $10,000 for the University of Richmond Department of Psychology to foster the development of teaching skills. Each finalist also presents a series of lectures at Baylor and on their home campuses.

Lambert presented her lecture to the UR community in early October. The topic, “Brain Sculpting: Stranger than fiction tales of neuroplasticity,” focused on how various experiences guide the life-long modifications of neural networks, a process known as neuroplasticity.

“Our brains change from the womb to the tomb,” Lambert said.

Lambert, who has completed research working with rats, mice, raccoons, monkeys, and Madagascar mouse lemurs, presented a series of examples related to brain sculpting, including how enriched environments can influence an animal’s skill, happiness, and longevity. Rats who lived in more natural environments, for example, swim with less stress and even dive out of curiosity.

“The brains of the animals I study are similar to human brains, and the hope is to learn something about ourselves and positively influence mental health,” said Lambert, who also noted that being able to tell stories that surprise people and that they enjoy is key to education.

“Science outreach is so important to the lab research and education, and these fun examples can get people on the hook and bring them in to learn more about the brain. That’s a win for me,” Lambert said.

The Cherry Award recipient, which will be announced in spring 2024, will receive $250,000 and an additional $25,000 for their home department. They will also teach in residence at Baylor during the fall 2024 or spring 2025 semester.

“Through research-based teaching approaches, Kelly guides students to new and deeper levels of understanding, while helping them develop confidence, resilience, and technical and problem-solving skills, all of which are necessary to succeed in life beyond college,” said Linda Boland, associate provost for faculty, who nominated Lambert for this award. “She brings curiosity, creativity, keen intellect, awareness of how students learn, and inclusive approaches to support every learner. Kelly is the definition of a great teacher.”

“I’m deeply honored to be recognized as a finalist for this award, especially because it included letters of reflection from not only my peers but current and former students,” said Lambert. “This recognition ultimately highlights what they have accomplished.”