About – SIUE STEM

Our team of researchers and content creators works to define best practices in STEM initiatives. From organizing and judging Science Fairs to providing innovative curriculum advancing computational thinking, we engage communities to broaden STEM teaching and learning in southwest Illinois. Our research is as diverse as our activities! From cognitive science to computer usability, we strive to understand how people best learn and teach STEM in formal and informal settings. Visit our Research and Outreach pages for a complete list of our current activities. Support the STEM Center with a monetary or equipment contribution. Please take the time to designate that the donation is for the STEM Center.

Our Team

Dr. Sharon Locke

Director

Sharon Locke is Professor and Director of the STEM Center. Before joining SIUE, Dr. Locke served two

Dr. Georgia Bracey

Research Assistant Professor

Georgia Bracey conducts STEM education research and assists with program evaluation and implementation in both the formal

Dr. Carol Colaninno

Research Associate Professor

Hello, I am Dr. Carol Colaninno (she/her), research associate professor at the STEM Center. I grew up

Dr. Charlie Blake

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Dr. Charlie Blake is a post-doctoral fellow at the STEM Center, as well as an instructor in

Dr. Andreia Dexheimer

Post-Doctoral Fellow

My name is Andreia Figueiredo Dexheimer (she/her) and I am a biologist interested in learning and education.

Candi Johnson

Program Coordinator

Candi earned a BA in Biology from Saint Louis University, a MAT in Science Education from SIUE,

Dawn Olive

Office Manager

Dawn has spent the past 25 years working to support science education in both formal and informal

Emily Wonnacott-Stanley

Program Coordinator

Emily earned a bachelor's of science in biology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a master's of

Colin Wilson

Instructor

Colin graduated with a Masters from Washington University from the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department after completing

Ozaveshe Paul Amune

Graduate Assistant

Paul graduated from Ambrose Alli University in Nigeria where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. He enjoys learning

Carolyne Banks

Graduate Assistant

Carolyne graduated from Wellesley College with a bachelor in biological sciences. She previously implemented a national academic

Pratigyan Bhusal

Graduate Assistant

Pratigyan Bhusal earned her bachelor of science degree in environmental sciences with honors from Naaya Aayam Multi-Disciplinary

Dwayne Ferguson

Graduate Assistant

Dwayne graduated from Virginia State University with a bachelor’s of science degree in biology in 2019. He

Josh Gifford

Graduate Assistant

Josh graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor degree in geography and a certificate of geographic

Margaret Lingane

Graduate Assistant

Margaret earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She is

Olivia Middendorf

Graduate Assistant

Olivia received her bachelor degree in nutrition from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2020. She is continuing

Lily Ward

Graduate Assistant

Lily graduated from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with bachelor's of science degree in geography and

Elizabeth Wolk

Graduate Assistant

Elizabeth graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, with a bachelor of science in

Suprasanna Aryal

Former Graduate Assistant

Suprasanna is pursuing her master’s degree in Environmental Sciences with concentration on environmental policy and public administration

Jacob Beardslee

Former Graduate Assistant

Jacob earned his bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He completed his master's

Cristal Campocasso

Former Graduate Assistant

Cristal assisted with various programs at the STEM Center supporting both student program and education research. Cristal

Lisa Drennen

Former Graduate Assistant

Lisa graduated from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri with a bachelor of science in biology and

Christine Favilla

Former Graduate Assistant

Christine graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado with a BA in sociology and a minor

Jannatul Ferdous

Former Graduate Assistant

Jannatul completed her master’s degree in environmental science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a focus on

Danielle Fischer

Former Graduate Assistant

Danielle is pursuing her master's degree in environmental science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a focus

Manuel Gomez

Former Graduate Assistant

Manny graduated from the University of Illinois – Springfield with a bachelor degree in global studies and

Xander Kalna

Former Graduate Assistant

Xander is currently pursuing a master’s of science in environmental science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with

Katrina LaCombe

Former Graduate Assistant

Katrina graduated from the University of Missouri- Kansas City with a bachelor degree in psychology and foreign

Samantha Murphy

Former Research Assistant and Graduate Assistant

Samantha graduated from the University of Missouri – St. Louis with a bachelor degree in psychology and

Aryaki Nagirddy

Former Graduate Assistant

Aryaki received her a bachelors in computer science and engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, India.

Juliana Okonya

Former Graduate Assistant

Julie graduated from Principia College with a bachelor degree in biology and a minor in sociology and

Waleska Do Valle Santos

Former Graduate Assistant

Waleska graduated from University of São Paulo, Brazil with a natural resources teaching degree. Waleska completed a

Clark Sturdevant

Former Graduate Assistant

Clark received his bachelor degrees in anthropology and performance (music) from the University of Iowa and a

Morgan Tallman

Former Graduate Assistant

Morgan received her BS in Psychology from SIUE. She completed her master's degree in Clinical Psychology with

About our Logo:

You may recognize parts of our logo as a “Buckyball” or Fullerine atom. This atom is Carbon 60, and can be modeled using 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. In 2012, then student and artist Chris Spangler designed our logo. The atom is named for Buckminster Fuller, an American designer and inventor. He was also a professor at SIU Carbondale. You can see evidence of his amazing architecture when you visit SIUE’s campus – our Center for Spirituality and Sustainability is a geodesic dome and is the result of a partnership between Fuller and architect Shoji Sadao.