The glaring gender gap in STEM disciplines has been tackled with great success at a number of colleges and universities that have made key changes. This session will look at the research on what creates the gap and what reverses it: actively recruiting women, transforming the traditional macho “only the strong will survive” culture of science and engineering departments into one of developing and supporting talent, introducing the notion of using technical skills for humanitarian problem solving early in the curriculum, and intensively training prospective women engineers in spatial skills. This panel will explore the current landscape for women in STEM in the halls of higher academia, how it’s changing, and what policies and programs are proving to be most effective.