This is a personal invitation to join your friends, colleagues and fellow members at the Academy of Operative Dentistry's 36th Annual Meeting in downtown Chicago. Once again, we have an outstanding essay program, informative table clinics and entertaining social events that will please everyone.Scientific Session: Our President-elect, Dr Frank Perry, has put together an outstanding group of essayists, who will be presenting a wide variety of clinically useful information. Thursday begins with “Advanced Local Anesthesia—Maximizing Effectiveness” by Dr David A Isen, followed by Dr Eric A Rindler's “Esthetic Periodontal Surgery.” The Buonocore Memorial Lecture, presented by Dr Tim F Watson, is titled “Operative Dentistry and the Abuse of Dental Hard Tissue” and will round out the morning session. Thursday's luncheon will honor Professor Dr Guido Vanherle of Belgium with the Hollenback Memorial Prize. Thursday afternoon features Professor Marco Ferrari presenting “The Role of Posts and Techniques for Restoring Endodontically Treated Teeth,” followed by Dr Henry Gremillion, with his presentation titled “The Anatomy of Occlusion: Multiple Inter(faces),” which will conclude the session.Dr Markus Blatz leads off Friday morning with “The Resin-Ceramic Interface: Solutions to Clinical Challenges.” Dr Mitchell J Gardiner follows with a presentation on “Your Dental Records are Your Best Defense in a Malpractice Lawsuit,” and the essay programs conclude with Dr Fred A Rueggeberg giving us “A Clinician's Guide to Light Curing.” Friday's luncheon will be held in the Mid-America Club and will feature the presentation of the Academy's Award of Excellence to Dr Thomas G Berry. The 2007 annual session will conclude with Friday afternoon's table clinics, which always provide a wealth of “pearls” for us to take back to our offices.Companion Program: This year, based on input and attendance at previous programs (most seemed to prefer planning their own days shopping and sightseeing), the Academy has decided to try a session without a formal program for companions. However, there will be complementary coffee and rolls at the Prima Vera Restaurant on Thursday and Friday morning. Please feel free to gather at the restaurant for complementary continental breakfast fare to fuel your personal excursions.Reception: Finally, our Gala Reception on Thursday evening will once again provide a wonderful once-a-year platform for socializing with all our friends and colleagues from across the country and around the world. Plan to join us in the Imperial Ballroom at 6:30 p.m.Please do not miss this fantastic opportunity for education, information exchange and fun. See you in Chicago in February. For more meeting information, contact Dr Gregory Smith, PO Box 14996, Gainesville, FL 32604-2996, USA; FAX: (352) 371-4882; e-mail: greg679@cox.net.The Academy of Operative Dentistry announces the inaugural George C Paffenbarger Student Research Award, generously sponsored by the American Dental Association Foundation. The Award is in honor of George C Paffenbarger, after whom the Paffenbarger Research Centre is named.The Award is open to students at all levels who wish to undertake novel research relevant to contemporary operative dentistry.The application should take the form of a protocol outlining the background, aims and hypothesis of the proposed research, the methodology to be employed, the anticipated work schedule and the expected impact of the work on the clinical practice of operative dentistry. The protocol should not exceed 3 double-spaced, typewritten pages and a budget sheet, including details for payment of the award. The budget for the proposed research many not exceed $6,000.The recipient of the award will be required to present a table clinic reporting the findings of the research supported by the Award at the 2008 annual meeting of the Academy of Operative Dentistry, which will be held in Chicago, 20–22 February, 2008. Additional funds not to exceed $1,000 will be made available to offset the cost of attending the meeting.A research mentor, who is a member of the Academy of Operative Dentistry, should be named and serve as a co-signatory to the application.If the research supported by the Award leads to a research report intended for publication, it is expected that the report will be first submitted to Operative Dentistry.Applications for the award must be submitted electronically to Dr Nairn Wilson (nairn.wilson@kcl.ac.uk), chairman of the Research Committee of the Academy of Operative Dentistry no later than 31 December 2007.The Award recipient will be announced during the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Operative Dentistry, which will be held in Chicago 21–23 February, 2007.A clinical course in conservative gold castings, mentored by Dr Richard V Tucker, will be held June 18–22, 2007 at the University of Washington Dental School. For course information, contact Dr Dennis Miya, (206) 244-1618 or at dmichi@aol.com.