Dr. Sharon Locke is a Fulbright Specialist at SEAMEO QITEP Regional Centre for Mathematics (SEAQiM) in Yogyakarta from February 5 to 17, 2023. The program’s goals are to support teachers to conduct academic writing in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and to assist the institution in developing STEM learning materials that align with student outcomes for the Indonesian Emancipated Curriculum. The activities include workshops with mathematics teachers and faculty on academic writing, STEM lesson review sessions with SEAQiM specialists, hands-on STEM activities with young children during a STEM Village program, lectures and discussions on future directions in STEM education, and support to staff in developing a grant proposal.

Dr. Locke is a professor 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.