STEM Workshops in Exeter

Exeter has been a centre of innovation for centuries. The Exeter Canal, constructed in the 1560s, was the first pound lock canal in England and represented a significant achievement in civil engineering. Thomas Newcomen, born in Dartmouth in Devon in 1664, invented the atmospheric steam engine, the first practical engine to harness steam power for pumping water from mines. The engine transformed the mining industry and laid foundations for the Industrial Revolution. Norman Lockyer, the astronomer who co-discovered helium and founded the journal Nature in 1869, established his observatory in Sidmouth, just east of Exeter.

Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric steam engine, first successfully operated in 1712, was the breakthrough that made industrial-scale steam power possible. Without it, the deeper coal mines of the eighteenth century could not have operated. Norman Lockyer independently identified helium in the solar spectrum in 1868, and his founding of Nature created one of the world's most cited and influential scientific journals. These figures demonstrate Devon's long tradition of scientific contribution, from practical engineering to fundamental discoveries about the composition of the universe.

The Met Office, the UK's national weather service, relocated its headquarters to Exeter in 2003 and operates one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world for weather forecasting and climate modelling. The University of Exeter is a Russell Group institution with internationally recognised research in climate science, renewable energy, biosciences and data science. Exeter Science Park, near junction 29 of the M5, hosts technology companies working in environmental monitoring, health technology and digital innovation. The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust partners with the university on pioneering research in diabetes genetics and precision medicine.

The Met Office employs scientists, data analysts and software engineers in Exeter, with graduate and apprenticeship pathways into meteorology, climate science and high-performance computing. The University of Exeter offers highly rated degrees in environmental science, computer science, engineering and biosciences. Exeter Science Park provides a growing cluster of technology employers in fields including health tech, environmental monitoring and data analytics. The combination of internationally recognised research institutions and a growing tech sector creates a strong STEM career landscape for a city of Exeter's size.