Concern about the decline in students taking science subjects is bringing together more than 50 science teachers from Kildare and West Dublin in NUI Maynooth this week. As part of the Government's "Physical Sciences Initiative", they will be attending an in-service training course in the college's chemistry department. The course will involve c' practical work and demonstrations of techniques, with an emphasis on the safe use of chemicals and the design of experiments. Ongoing investment in state-of-the-art science facilities at NUI Maynooth includes the college's new £10 million science building and a proposed £4.2 million electronic engineering facility.

Science is getting an outing too on the "Pfizer Science Bus". A project run by the Centre for Talented Youth at Dublin City University (DCU), the bus has been fitted with a laboratory and holds up to 15 students. Supported by the chemical multinational and directed by Dr Sheila Gilheany, activities on the bus are aimed at primary-school students and offers a lot of hands-on exhibits.