Students gather at a booth at the festival. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2016 International Festival of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEMfest) took place at the Suzhou branch of Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University from July 17 to 20.

The festival aimed to provide primary school and middle school students with new learning modes, methods and experiences, while acting as a communication platform for schools, government departments and members of the public.

Experts and teachers specializing in STEM course design and lab equipment from the US, the UK, Germany and Finland participated in the festival, along with more than 30 tech giants, including Microsoft, IBM, HP, and Oracle.

Among the highlights of the festival were the East China Qualification Competition of the 2016 World Robot Olympiad (WRO) on July 19 and a forum on the promotion of STEM courses and laboratory constructions on July 20.

A range of interactive activities were put on for students, who were able to control drones, experience augmented reality and attend programming workshops.

STEM is an acronym for an education system emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It was established in the US and is considered to be essential for students’ ability to adapt to changes in society. Four schools in Suzhou have been piloting STEM courses since September, 2015.

Xu Yiwei contributed to the story.