Entanglement is a unique resource found in quantum systems that can enable advances in precision measurement of time and electromagnetic fields, quantum simulation of solid-state systems, and the development of quantum information resources. Thus far, many experiments have used global interactions and collective entanglement among large ensembles of particles to realize quantum sensors that surpass the sensitivity of their classical counterparts. Other experiments have used extremely local interactions and short-range entanglement between neighboring atoms to demonstrate high-fidelity quantum gates. How can we interpolate between these regimes in useful ways? We can, for example, strive to develop an understanding of local entanglement on a microscopic level, and figure out how to apply it to quantum sensor ensembles which might not natively allow global interactions. In this talk, I will briefly describe an experiment which used local Rydberg interactions to realize a squeezed spin state, and then discuss an analytical framework for squeezing scalably with local Hamiltonians. I will then describe a new hybrid cold-atom experiment under construction in my group, which will be used to explore many-body entanglement and optimal steering of quantum systems towards target states.