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Testimonials
Comments are always
appreciated from participants in Duck
conferences. These are included
here to emphasize the nature and value
of the conference to those who may be
interested.
Notes
from first-time participants
This
section contains excerpts from cards,
letters or e-mails I have received in
recent years from first-time Duckees,
after the conference. They are
reproduced here with permission from the
authors.
I
was truly blown away by the Duck
experience. To be honest, I was
a bit nervous to come into this new
environment with so many people I've
looked up to for years. Never in
a maillion years did I think I would
feel so welcome and supported.
What a true mix of "business" and
"pleasure"--to in one breath to be
talking seriously about your latest
research and in another be hilariously
sharing your most embarrassing
story. I took away so many new
ideas, got great feedback about my
work, started potential collaborations
with people I may have never met--I
can't say enough how great an
experience it was; the true gold
standard for an academic conference
and one of the best professional
experiences I've ever had.
- Shana Cole (6/10/2016)
I
just wanted to thank you again for the
opportunity to attend Duck. It was,
without a doubt, the best experience
of my academic career. You asked if we
had any suggestions for next year and
I have nothing to suggest. It was
amazing.
- Michael Bernstein
(6/11/2012)
Thank
you for the best conference experience
ever, both intellectually and socially.
I would love to be invited back and
every single person in attendance should
be invited back!! Thank you for the new
collaborators, colleagues, and, above
all, friends... Duck is a precious
institution!
- Casey McCulloch
(6/11/2012
Thank you so much again for
a magical Duck week. I really had no
idea when accepted your invitation that
it's going to be such a remarkable
experience, first and foremost because
of the excellent group of people that
were so friendly, smart, and fun to be
with. I salute you for directing this
conference in a way that brought out the
best of everybody (or at least that's
the way it felt) and made the atmosphere
so special. And also thank you for
choosing such a great location -- it was
nothing but perfect.
- Elinor Amit (6/15/2012
I
want to again thank you for an
absolutely incredible week. I have
returned, filled with and stretched by
new ideas, reenergized about existing
programs of research, and excited about
embarking on new ones. Although it may
sound dramatic, I truly mean it when I
say that I imagine I will look back and
think about my life as a social
psychologist marked by Duck, pre and
post. Thank you so much for welcoming me
so fully into this group. I have no
doubt that the connections formed this
week, both professional and personal,
will be career-sustaining ones.
- Abby Scholer (6/13/2011
What an amazing tradition -
I was very honored to be a part of it
and hope to come back next year.
- Toni Schmader (6/13/2010)
The conference itself was
among the most rewarding personal and
professional experiences I have ever
had. As a junior faculty member... it
can sometimes be difficult to form
meaningful connections at large
conferences like SPSP. And I admit that
I was initially a little nervous about
attending Duck because I didn't know
many of the attendees beforehand. As
soon as I arrived, though, any fears I
had dissipated. Everyone I met was
friendly, welcoming, and genuinely
interested in learning about one
another's work. I am so honored to have
been invited to spend a week with such
an esteemed and interpersonally
wonderful group of colleagues. And I'm
already looking forward to catching up
with fellow Duckees at SESP this fall,
as well as attending future Duck
conferences!
- Kimberly Rios Morrison
(6/13/2010)
As you already know, I
loved every moment of the conference. I
have new research collaborations that
have sprung from conversations with
other Duckies, and an invitation to talk
at Indiana in the Fall. I have nothing
but great things to say about everyone
who attended - I have fallen in love
with social cognitionists again.
I hope you get as much
pleasure and satisfaction from Duck to
match the effort and commitment that
you put in. Duck has changed my
perspective on myself and my career in
ways that I would never have imagined.
- Claire
Ashton-James (6/17/2008; 6/20/2008)
Many many thanks for all
of your organizational efforts
surrounding Duck. What an honor it
was to be invited and become part of an
incredible tradition that has clearly
shaped the field of social
cognition. My research has
benefitted from all the feedback I
received both during the formal
presentation and all the conversations
on the beach. I will remember that
week with fond memories and warm
regards.
Thanks again for a
wonderful conference. I consider it to
be one of the best academic and
professional experiences I've ever
had. Many many thanks!
- Emily Balcetis (6/25/2008,
6/18/2008)
I just wanted to thank
you again for organizing such a great
conference. The talks were
stimulating, the food was delicious,
the company was great, and our host
was gracious -- what more can you ask
for. I really appreciate all the hard
work that goes into putting together
such event -- thanks for inviting me.
-
Kerry Kawakami (6/19/2008)
I'll write more later,
but for now I just wanted to say THANK
YOU so much for the opportunity to
experience Duck. From day one it
was one of the most amazing
experiences of my life. I feel
so fortunate to have been
included. Everyone I met was
smart, knowledgeable, helpful, and
just NICE! You've really created
a piece of heaven.
- Amy Hackney (6/18/2008)
I just wanted to drop
you a note to let you know what a
FANTASTIC time Zak and I had at Duck!
We've been raving about it since we
left (and were raving about it while
we were still there too :) it really
is a tremendous conference in so many
ways- the ability to get to know other
social psychologists, both
professionally and personally; the
fantastic surroundings; and the
wonderful food. Our hats are off to
you, Don! I think we have only an
inkling of the time that goes into
organizing Duck, and we want to thank
you for all of the work that you put
into it. it was a phenomenal time.
Thank you for including us! we're
looking forward to future Ducks.
- Teceta
Tormala (6/13/2007)
I just wanted to thank
you again for all the hard work you
put into organizing Duck. It
definitely paid off--we all enjoyed
ourselves very much. It was great to
hear about everyone's research and
also have time for more informal
talking, hanging around, and visiting
the beach. Perfect combination. I feel
lucky to have had the chance to
attend. Thanks!
- Lisa
Libby (6/11/2007)
Thank you so much for
organizing Duck and for including
me. I am a shy person so I
really appreciated how you encouraged
the group to be friendly and inclusive
- I met some great people! I can
only imagine how much work it must
have been for you to figure all this
out - so thank you!!
-
Beth Marsh (6/11//2007)
I did want to thank
you for inviting me to Duck.
As a post-doc, and particularly as a
post-doc at a business school, it is
easy to feel a little detached from
the greater world of social
psychology. The week at Duck
reminded me of why I entered this
field, and how rewarding it can be
to have colleagues who are
interested in the same questions and
have the same approach to those
questions as I do. Truly, I
came back from the conference with
my research engine fully
revitalized.
Of course, the social aspects were
excellent. Whatever your
vetting process, it is obviously a
good one. That, and your
careful consideration of
cooking/cleaning teams, dinner
teams, housing...all of it created
the perfect environment for making
new friends, and also for being
impressed by them.
- Cami
Johnson (6/26/2006)
I
had a good eight hours to process
everything about the conference on my
way home on Saturday. I came to the
conclusion that the simple verbal
thanks that I expressed on Friday
doesn't even come close to why the
conference was such a success. . . .so
here are some more
points/testimonials:
1. I hate asking
questions during Q & A after a
talk because I worry about how I will
come off. Furthermore, I can be kind
of shy in new settings. The informal
format with repeated exposure to
everyone gave frequent opportunities
to ask questions more privately. I
know that I would not have gotten the
feedback that I got without the
informal interactions with the other
Duckees; in addition, I know that I
processed the talks a little deeper
because I got to spend more time with
the researchers (and asked a lot of
questions!).
2.
Relatedly, I think the way in which
the dinner and cleanup was organized
is brilliant. I truly appreciate how
much time and care that you took to
organize small groups and for putting
people together for dinner one night
each day . . . I especially liked
applying all our social psychology to
our poor waitress performance . . . I
am sure that I will use that example
(names removed) in social when I teach
it in the fall.
3.
As a faculty member at a teaching
university, making contacts outside of
my institution is critical for my
success . . . the friends that I
have made this last week are essential
for keeping me on task with my
research (instead of getting bogged
down by service and teaching demands).
Thus, the conference has broadened my
scope.
I
will be thinking of Duck for a long
time to come . . . thank you.
-
Elizabeth Haines (6/13/2006)
I wanted to send you a
letter of thanks for all of the work you
put into organizing the Duck Conference.
I was excited to get an invitation and I
enjoyed the experience quite a bit.
However, it is hard to adjust to
"normal" life - no laying out on the
beach, swimming in the ocean, pool
volleyball, great food, good talks on
interesting research, etc. Oh well, I
guess you can't always live the good
life. Thanks for giving me a week of it.
- BJ
Rydell (6/13/2006)
I just wanted to thank
you again for the invitation to Duck
-- it has officially spoiled all
other conferences. I had a
great time.
- Melissa Ferguson
(6/13/2005)
Notes
from returning participants
This
section contains excerpts from cards,
letters or e-mails I have received in
recent years from Duckees who had
previously attended more than one Duck
conference. They are reproduced
here with permission from the authors.
Thanks, don, as always for your
excellent work in making Duck so
amazing! Another great year,
and I hope you feel deservedly proud
(of this year, and of Duck in
totality). I thought the new
duckies were, well ducky -- to a
person. Again, thanks for
organizing a great conference!
- Allen
McConnell (6/14/12)
I
hope your travels home were smooth and
that you are settling well into life
post-Duck. I find that re-entry is a
bit rough, returning from such a
wonderful place, a week filled with
intense intellectual stimulation and
the development of existing and new
friendships. Thank you so much for
including me in the group; it was
again an amazing experience and I am
so honored to be part of the group.
I
was reflecting today on my return from
Duck last year and how profoundly I
feel that my inclusion in this group
has affected my own development as a
social cognition researcher. Thank
you, thank you for this
experience.
- Abby
Scholer (6/14/12)
I
just wanted to respond to say that I
thoroughly enjoyed Duck this year, and
wanted to thank you again for your
tireless efforts in maintaining one of
the best traditions in the
field. Duck is a wonderful
combination of innovation/cutting edge
research with tradition &
history. It's too easy to lose
historical perspective in what we do,
and Duck has this wonderful way of
connecting all of us back to the
beginnings of social cognition while
promoting what is new and exciting
now. I very much appreciate your
kindness in including me a second
time... it was a real pleasure to be
part of Duck this year.
- Ken
Fujita (6/22/11)
As always, we had an
amazing time at Duck - so many good
ideas, good times, & good food. I
know it is a ton of work for you each
year, and I hope you know how much we
all appreciate it.
- Amanda
Diekman (6/14/2006)
Just
wanted to say thanks for inviting me to
Duck again this year. It was both
very edifying and a lot of fun. As
always, the best conference of the year,
bar none.
-
Anonymity requested
to avoid alienating organizers of other
conferences
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