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 National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), and the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), and Information Storage Industry Consortium (INSIC). Dr. Acton has teaching experience in Statics, Mechanics, Dynamics, Structural Analysis, and Finite Element Analysis. She is the principal investigator on an NSF S-STEM Track 2 grant entitled "APEX: Alternative Pathways for Excellence." As part of this program, Dr. Acton is helping to secure effective transfer pathways for community college students to succeed in the St. Thomas engineering program.
