The 2018 Provost's Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Endeavors was awarded to physics professor Mary Alberg.  The campus-wide announcement applauded Mary as “a nationally recognized teacher-scholar. Her research is in theoretical nuclear and particle physics, most recently focused on the properties of the proton, the particle at the heart of every atom and the fuel of stars.

Inspired by her own undergraduate research experience at Wellesley College, Dr. Alberg has made collaborative work with undergraduates central to her scholarly life. Her research program and mentorship of Seattle U students has been continuously supported by the National Science Foundation for over two decades. The impact of Dr. Alberg’s scholarship has been recognized by her election to Fellowship in the American Physical Society. She is the inaugural recipient of the Lynnwood W. Swanson Scientific Research Award, established by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to honor "a professor whose work has gained national recognition, and demonstrated leadership in engaging undergraduate students and promoting research and their institution."