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It's a word that's thrown around with im- punity in reference to any group or gather- ing of people with even the remotest sense of familiarity with one another. It's a tired trope used endlessly by athletes, CEOs, lo- cal politicians and even entire industries. Unless it's in reference to an actual family, the simplest reaction is just to roll one's eyes and move on. Yet, at the 102nd annual meeting of the Potato Association of America (PAA) in Boise, Idaho, July 22-26, that word— family—rang a little less hollow, a little more sincere, than it typically does. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance, and though I heard the PAA compared to a family several times, it felt like the re- spective speaker was always aware of the hokeyness of the term but nonetheless found it an apt description. The PAA is a collaboration of many of the best scientific minds in the potato in- dustry, with a membership of over 550 scattered over six continents. Its official mission is to "collect and disseminate sci- entific information relating to all phases of the potato industry, including—but not limited to—teaching, research, outreach, breeding, certification, production, pests, transportation, processing, and marketing and utilization." The American Journal of Potato Research, distributed bimonth- ly by the PAA, publishes reports of basic and applied research of one of the world's most important food crops. And each year, members get together to network and share their latest discoveries and ideas. "This meeting is like a scientific family reunion," said longtime Frito-Lay potato Family. Winners of the Frank L. Haynes graduate student research competition included Graham Ellis (Washington State University), Natalie Kaiser (Michigan State University), Alejandro Cruz (WSU) and Rachel Gross (University of Idaho). Each year, the PAA awards honorary in the world of potato research. The 2018 Hoopes, Stephen Love, Rick Knowles and