Rellen Hardtke
Physics Professor
College of Arts and Sciences

Why did you choose to come to River Falls?

I grew up in Wisconsin and wanted to raise my daughter here, near family,  instead of southern California.  Because of my research with the AMANDA/IceCube neutrino telescope and my trips to Antarctica, I already knew about the quality of the UWRF Physics Department.  In fact, the first time I met Prof. Spiczak was at the South Pole!

What are four characteristics of a successful student in your class?

- Effort
- Organization
- Time on task
- Analytical thinking

What is the most rewarding part of your job and why?

Without a doubt, changing lives for the better.  It’s exciting to see the opportunities and larger perspectives we provide for students: research, study abroad, graduate school, internships, fellowships, cultural diversity, political awareness, and self-confidence.

Where are your favorite placse to go in town and why?

- Mariachi Loco – a restaurant near campus serving great Mexican food at great prices from great people.
- The Wall Amphitheater on campus -- a beautiful, wonderful place for outdoor concerts.
- The River Falls Theatre – first-run movies, soda and snacks for just a few dollars.

What is something you wish someone told you about UWRF before you first arrived?

There are plenty of opportunities to attend music performances, theatre productions, public lectures, and athletic events on campus.  They are good quality, and less expensive than events in larger cities.

What is something you wish someone told you about college before you went?

Get to know your professors.  Even if it’s initially uncomfortable for you.  I was usually too intimidated to visit my professors outside of class.  What a loss.  If you don’t get to know your professors at UWRF, you’re missing one of the great advantages of attending school here.

Did you always know you wanted to be a professor?  Why or Why not?

No.  I always loved math and science, but I didn’t really know what one could do with those interests, besides becoming an engineer.   I grew up in rural Wisconsin without a lot of role models in the community.   I didn’t know that being a “scientist” was a real job, or how one became a college professor.   I eventually overcame all that and I’m glad I did.   I didn’t think I was interested in teaching either.  It turns out that I love teaching and that I really enjoy being around college students.

Why did you decide to teach at UWRF and how has your experience shaped you into who you are today?

I grew up in a farming/blue-collar Wisconsin family.   Because my family valued education, I had the opportunity to go to college and eventually graduate school.  I think everyone should have the chance to go to college, to prepare for a modern global society, to become the person they want to be, and to obtain the intellectual skills that will keep them employed even in a changing world.  I value teaching at a public university that keeps a quality college education affordable and accessible. 

Tell us about a unique classroom experience.

Unique?  Do you mean embarrassing?  I gave birth in May of 2004 and went back to work at Cal Poly that fall.  On the first day, I went home after my morning class to nurse my daughter and then rushed back to teach my honors astrophysics course in the afternoon.  In my hurry, I hadn’t realized that my button-down shirt was clearly inside out, with the tag sticking straight out.  Then at one point, I turned to the students while erasing the blackboard.  The eraser, which apparently hadn’t been cleaned in months caught the top edge of the blackboard, flipped in the air, literally bounced off my head, and showered me with a thick coating of chalk dust.  When I finally got to the restroom after class, I was truly aghast to see that I hadn’t dressed myself correctly and that I was completely covered in chalk dust. 

I did not mention it in class the next day and carried on as if nothing peculiar had occurred.  At the end of a wonderful semester – it turned out to be one of my favorite classes ever –  I asked my students if they remembered what had happened the first day.  They all laughed!  Yes, they remembered the chalk dust and had been aware of my wardrobe issue.  My students demonstrated the kindness and acceptance I extend to them.

What place/park/event do you think everybody should see?  Why?

The annual Unity in the Community program.  UWRF and the city of River Falls put together a wonderful day-long celebration of diversity in our community.  It’s fun, exciting, and impressive.

Tell the story of an out-of-classroom encounter- either social or academic with one of your students.  How did this strengthen the student-faculty relationship or present the student in a new light?

Letters and email that tell me how I’ve changed someone’s life for the better keep me going.  I had the chance to teach a very bright young woman, who had plenty of professional experience in the business and engineering worlds.  She was a single mother who came to UWRF to earn her academic credentials.  She was an exceptional student and a wonderful person.  I learned from her as she learned from me.  I knew her life was challenging, but I had no idea until later that she was simultaneously fighting a legal battle, worrying about tuition payments and health insurance, studying with a learning disability, and battling cancer for the third time.  She is very successful professionally and will probably be a prominent UWRF alumna one day. 

What I’ve learned is: (1) There are many students like her at UWRF, students with untold stories and challenges, students who are successful under circumstances that others  might not have been.  (2) No one should ever underestimate or pre-judge the potential of a UWRF student.

What was your first job out of college?

For three years before graduate school, I was a consulting health care actuary in Washington, D.C., two blocks from the White House.  (In high school, I waited tables.  In college, I worked at a law office and had a work study position at the M.I.T. Women’s Studies Program.)

If you were a student how would you be involved on campus?

Student organizations, intramurals, and student government.  There’s something to match everyone’s interests and passions.

If you could change any part of your job what would it be and why?

I wish none of my students had to worry about money.  I wish they could work fewer hours at their jobs and appreciate their college experience more.

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