BRUNEL University, founded as a centre of technological excellence, this week confirmed it would stop taking undergraduate physics and chemistry students after September. Instead the physics and chemistry departments, which have suffered falling intakes and scored only a two in the RAE, will become part of a new Institute of Physical and Environmental Sciences. Some of the 24 physics and chemistry staff will be transferred to this and other departments. Brunel said it would do all it could to avoid compulsory redundancies.