{"id":144501,"date":"2025-01-06T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=144501"},"modified":"2025-01-06T10:30:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T15:30:11","slug":"ucf-teacher-education-alumna-inspires-future-generations-through-nasa-outreach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-teacher-education-alumna-inspires-future-generations-through-nasa-outreach\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Teacher Education Alumna Inspires Future Generations Through NASA Outreach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bridging the gap between the classroom and the cosmos might not be a traditional career path for teacher education alumni, but it\u2019s exactly what Margaret Catherine \u201cCat\u201d Toon \u201913<\/strong> is doing through her role at NASA.<\/p>\n

Toon, a School of Teacher Education alumna who works for NASA\u2019s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) at Kennedy Space Center, is using her teaching experience to inspire students and teachers to shoot for the stars. The EGS program is helping lay the foundation for humanity\u2019s return to the moon. EGS develops and operates the ground systems and facilities needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft for NASA\u2019s Artemis missions<\/a>. Those involved in the project also play a primary role in assembly, launch, and recovery of rockets and spacecraft.<\/p>\n

A large part of Toon\u2019s role within EGS is to support outreach and engagement with local schools and communities. She\u2019s been able to utilize her teaching degree and experience to help educate teachers and students on what EGS is doing, how they as the Artemis Generation can become involved, and what different career paths are available at NASA.<\/p>\n

Toon\u2019s journey began at age 4 with a love for teaching and space exploration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being in daycare, trying to read a book about stars, and thinking it would be so cool to see space,\u201d she says. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I wanted to be an astronaut, but I realized teachers could also go to space, and I loved my teachers. I decided I was going to be a teacher \u2014 maybe I’ll go into space one day, maybe not, but that’s what vividly shaped my path into going and pursuing a degree in education.\u201d<\/p>\n