Former Exeter School alumnus wins BP Ultimate Field Trip 2014

2011 leaver, Christopher Clay, and his team mates Talbot Kingsbury and Jan Paszkiewicz from Oxford University, impressed the judges from BP, the guest judge, Richard Parker from Rolls Royce, and celebrity host Clare Balding with their approach to the international challenge.

The team 'I Challenge You to a Joule' worked on the problem of energy companies consuming large amounts of energy in running their operations, rising to the challenge of identifying an innovative solution that will significantly reduce energy consumption in the future.

The innovation focussed on using energy from gas flares for aluminium electrolysis. The technical solution that was developed was praised by the judges for its practical and ground-breaking approach. 
Chris said: "It's just amazing to win this year's Ultimate Field Trip, it's such an achievement. I am really proud of our team's efforts. I would not hesitate in recommending the experience to other students, it's very rewarding. It's not easy, but all the hard work has been worth it."

'I Challenge You to a Joule' will begin their field trip in June 2014 for a two week period with BP, joining winning teams from Angola, Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, and the US to visit BP's Alaskan operations. 

Exeter School has an excellent track history in the field of engineering and science.

Seven Exeter School pupils have been awarded Arkwright scholarships in the last four years. 2011 Arkwright scholar David Salmon achieved the highest marks in the country in A Level Electronics and Applied Science.  The School runs annual field trips to the Supacat factory at Dunkeswell for Year 9, the Jaguar and Morgan production plants for Year 11 and recently took Year 9 to a STEM initiative day at St James School run by the Bloodhound Supersonic car team.