The international STEM festival dedicated to innovative project education was held in a mixed format with the possibility of full-time participation of representatives of universities in Russia and Kazakhstan. The festival was also attended by BelSU students and teachers from Belgorod schools.

At the opening of the STEM festival, Victoria Tarabaeva, Director of Pedagogical institute of BelSU, addressed the participants, noting that the university has been preparing highly qualified specialists for 145 years of its history, using both classical and innovative approaches.

“Belgorod University is improving its educational programs in accordance with the needs of modern society, which helps it to occupy high positions in the most significant Russian and international ratings,” Victoria Borisovna emphasized.

The director of Pedagogical institute spoke about the plans for the further implementation of the STEM program for the training of teachers.

Maxim Bondarev, the head of the project at Southern Federal University, head of the Department of Primary Education of the Academy of Psychology, made a welcoming speech.

The main part of the festival took place on the territory of the open BelSU engineering school. In accordance with the mission of the festival, the participants shared their experience in the implementation of STEM education in their regions and new approaches to teaching natural science disciplines. Presentations and master classes dedicated to STEM education were held in the conference hall: "Professional orientation of schoolchildren based on interdisciplinary integration", "Supervision and management of STEM projects of schoolchildren according to the "University-school" model”, "Methodology for using computer laboratory work on the example of Projectile-motion by Phet Interactive Simulations", "Modern STEAM Practices: Animation at School", etc.

As an invited guest of the festival, a lecture on design thinking and examples of its implementation in real life was presented by the popularizer of STEM practice, senior lecturer at Hacettepe University (Turkey) Gultekin Cakmakci.

Another section of the festival was an exhibition of developments of scientific STEM objects, starting from marmalade made at BelSU using knowledge from the entire spectrum of STEM disciplines, and an interactive map of Kazakhstan – up to professional hardware and software systems and virtual reality projects.

The first day of the festival ended with an exhibition at the open engineering school. With the help of the most modern equipment, schoolchildren and students have been effectively studying STEM techniques for several years and successfully participating in various innovative projects. The second day was devoted to the exchange of experience between the participants of the festival and acquaintance with Belgorod region.