FYI FYI (June 23, 2004)

STEM CELL FUNDING ... StemCells Inc. a Palo Alto company focusing on stem cell research, recently announced it had raised $20 million from private sources. The company expects to begin clinical trials for Batten Disease, a rare but fatal neurodegenerative disorder, sometime in 2005.

NOONTIME RALLY ... To protest a proposal by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to expense broad-based employee stock option plans, a noontime rally of employees from such companies as Sun Microsystems , Cisco and Intel will be held June 24 at the Palo Alto City Hall Plaza. Organizers believe employee stock options fuel innovation, small businesses and economic growth, and hope to bring that home as the FASB conducts roundtable discussions on the topic in Palo Alto -- and throughout the nation -- that same day.

BOO-YA FOR BOORA ... BOORA Architects of Portland, Ore. recently won the commission to develop a master plan and design guidelines for the new Science and Engineering quad at Stanford University. The project represents four new buildings encompassing more than 500,000 square feet of new construction on 8.2 acres.

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