Dr. Locke is a Professor of environmental sciences and Director of the Center for STEM Research, Education, and Outreach

at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The Center develops, strengthens, and promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education through professional development and enrichment activities for educators and students and by conducting research on STEM teaching and learning to support educational practice. Dr. Locke and her team use mixed-methods research to examine the impacts of center programs on student STEM knowledge, skills, interest, motivation, and identity. Dr. Locke has been the lead for multiple U.S. federal grants to improve STEM education, with a focus on students from schools with limited resources for teaching science, engineering, and mathematics. She has written several articles on STEM education and served on the Steering Committee of the National Network of STEM Education Centers.