Though the fields of science, engineering, technology and math, STEM, are among the fastest growing, very few students are interested in them or even know what they entail.

Fewer still are the women who join a STEM industry.

This gap is one of the most pressing issues in society today, and one of the biggest threats to a prosperous economy.

Julie Coates, LERN Vice President and one of continuing education's leading futurists, is speaking and presenting at the LERN Conference in San Francisco, Nov. 21-23. 

Coates will focus one of her discussions, "Education in the 21st Century," on the ongoing gender wars and the STEM crisis.

According to the Business and Education Forum, fewer than 20 percent of the bachelor's degrees awarded in the U.S. are in the fields of science, engineering, technology and math. 

As one of the foremost authorities on the demographics of learning, Coates will share a unique perspective on the importance of tackling gender wars and the STEM crisis by way of continuing education and lifelong learning. 

In San Francisco, Coates will also present on the Future of Community Programming.