Dr. Acton has a background in Civil Engineering in the area of engineering mechanics. She has performed research in the behavior of metal matrix composites, functionally graded materials, laminates and polymers. Her research has been funded through the Information Storage Industry Consortium (INSIC), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), and the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). Dr. Acton has teaching experience in Statics, Mechanics, Structural Analysis, and Finite Element Analysis. She is the faculty advisor for SWE (Society of Women Engineers) and the Co-op Program faculty advisor for the School of Engineering at St. Thomas.