In many ways, the hacker community and the academic community don't appear to get along. The classical view of how both academia and the hacker community operate seemingly are mutually exclusive, with the academy priding itself on rigor and proof while the hacker community espouses a "proof by example" methodology. The relatively slow pace of academia turns off hackers, and the lack of rigor of hackers does the same for academics. During this panel discussion, we show how the two worlds are not that far apart and present individuals who are actively trying to bridge the gap between the two. Current students, past students, professors, and hackers, one in the same, will be present for the discussion.