The type of work that Exponent performs is contractually highly confidential—until their clients decide otherwise. Thus, while Exponent may issue reports that are both favorable and unfavorable to its clients, Exponent's clients have the option of releasing only the favorable reports, creating the appearance of bias. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Exponent's research has come under fire from critics, including engineers, attorneys and academics who say the company tends to deliver to clients the reports they need to mount a public defense." Exponent's executive chairman responded that such criticism is a "cheap shot", responding "Do we tell our clients a lot of what they don't want to hear? Absolutely." but that they also often come up with results not favoring their clients. No concrete examples were however provided for the paper. In 2009, the Amazon Defense Coalition criticized an Exponent study commissioned by the energy company Chevron that dumping oil waste didn't cause cancer because Chevron's largest shareholder was a director on Exponent's board. The firm was also criticized for assisting industry efforts to reduce chromium regulation. Notable Projects Partial listing of notable projects: Chevrolet C/K Suzuki v. Consumers Union American Airlines Flight 587 Turkish Airlines Flight 981 Exxon Valdez Oklahoma City bombing Space Shuttle Challenger disaster Space Shuttle Columbia disaster 2009–2011 Toyota vehicle recalls Drillship Seacrest Alexander L. Kielland (platform) Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse Kobe earthquake TWA Flight 800 Assassination of John F. Kennedy James Dean motor vehicle accident Collapse of the World Trade Center Deflategate MARCbot Samsung Note 7 Research areas Exponent's services are concentrated on multiple practices and centers, including: Biomechanics Biomedical Engineering Buildings & Structures Civil Engineering Construction Consulting Ecological & Biological Sciences Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Engineering Management Consulting Environmental & Earth Sciences Health Sciences Human Factors Industrial Structures Materials Science & Corrosion Engineering Mechanical Engineering Polymers Science & Materials Chemistry Statistical & Data Sciences Technology Development Thermal Sciences Vehicle Engineering Visual Communication References External links Official website University spin-offs Consulting firms established in 1967 Engineering consulting firms of the United States International engineering consulting firms Companies listed on the Nasdaq Companies based in Menlo Park, California Multinational companies headquartered in the United States 1967 establishments in California