About 350 University of Michigan students and faculty gathered in the Stamps Auditorium Thursday evening to listen to Erika Cheung discuss her experience as a key whistleblower who exposed fraud at Theranos, a biotech startup company.

Theranos, founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Holmes, claimed it created technology that could test small blood samples for conditions like cancer and diabetes efficiently through their Edison machines. These claims were proven to be fabricated, and Holmes was charged with fraud in 2018 and sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2022.

Stacie Edington, director of the College of Engineering Honors and Engagement Programs office, said in an interview with The Michigan Daily that she felt Engineering students had much to learn from Cheung’s experiences and that hearing from her will be valuable to them in future career endeavors.

“Our students are able to resonate well with her, because they can understand what it’s like to be a new career scientist and enter a field that you’re just getting to know,” Edington said. “I think her experience really demonstrates the importance of ethics and integrity and courage in engineering and science, and that’s part of what this program is all about.”

Engineering Dean Karen Thole opened the event by talking about the Michigan Engineering Common Reading Experience, which assigns and provides first-year Engineering students with a book to read over the summer. For the 2024-25 academic year, the program selected the book...

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