ECE student gains global engineering experience for semiconductors certificate through work with GEARE
Leo Janert didn’t have a summer break in middle school.
When school ended in the United States, Janert would fly to Japan with his mother and younger brother to visit family. And continue school as a dual citizen overseas.
Once Janert hit high school, the visits to family stopped. Though he had free summers, by the time he began at Purdue University in 2023, he was missing time as a global student.
That was when he learned that Purdue could offer advanced experiences in semiconductor production — his desired field of study within electrical engineering — through internships and cooperative education that brought experiences with other global leaders, like Japan.
It was a no-brainer to add the Industry Knowledge Certificate in Semiconductors and Microelectronics, offered by Purdue’s Office of Professional Practice (OPP), to his course plan. Prioritizing global semiconductor internships with the aid of the Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education (GEARE) only sweetened the deal with a minor in global engineering studies.
“Being a global engineer has always been something I wanted to do,” said Janert, a junior from Albuquerque, New Mexico. “OPP’s programs have been instrumental in my first steps, both into industry opportunities and in being able to support the cohorts after me.”
GEARE has been an OPP offering for 22 years. In stark contrast, the semiconductor part of Janert's education is only two years old. The Certificate in Semiconductors and Microelectronics is one of three Industry Knowledge Certificates — in addition to the Certificate in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and the Innovation for Public Service Certificate, in collaboration with the NobleReach Foundation — in which students can make strides in high-demand industry skills before graduation.
Students pursuing the semiconductors certificate represent 27 majors, including 13 in engineering. The students represent a portion of more than 10,000 Purdue students enrolled in semiconductor-related technical courses. Purdue students with semiconductor industry experience, like Janert, have been hired by more than 50 companies within the United States for semiconductor-related positions.
Janert had learned about the certificate through a first semester seminar, ENGR 10301 (Intro to Professional Practice), in fall 2024. By spring 2025, he cemented his interest in the certificate through ENGR 10301 (Changing the World with Chips – Introduction to Semiconductors).
“The (certification) program is beneficial for a diverse range of students, from those like me who were new to the field to those with familial connections to the industry,” Janert said. “It not only guides me to relevant courses that prepare me for a career in this engineering field but also fosters a sense of community.”
GEARE and the semiconductors certificate worked well in tandem. Janert could approach internships and work experiences on a global level and within a specialized field. It was a bonus that Janert was approaching GEARE as a student looking for new experiences in a country he already knew.
After a semester of settling into college, he served as the finance director of the GEARE Ambassadors from January-May 2024 and the fundraising committee head for Purdue's chapter of the Semiconductor Student Alliance from April-August 2024. By the time Janert was immersed in the chapter as treasurer, then as vice president, an electrical engineering experience in Japan came into his inbox.
Janert has GEARE’s former assistant director of global experiential education programs Heather Fabriès to thank for that. She had been keeping a close eye out for an opportunity that fit Janert’s career path since they met during a Maymester the year before.
“Leo stood out from the moment we met,” Fabriès said. “It was not just for his curiosity and drive but for how genuinely he connected with others.”
Fabriès’ invitation also was how Janert became a teaching assistant and mentor for new GEARE students taking ENGR 29600 (GEARE Professional Development), positions he has held since January 2025.
“It’s been incredible to see him thrive as a GEARE student and TA,” Fabriès said. “His passion for the program is contagious, and he's made a real impact on the community.”
Janert began working with global semiconductor equipment producer Tokyo Electron (TEL) in May 2025 as part of a 12-week internship package. The first eight weeks were in Hillsboro, Oregon, at TEL’s primary plant in the U.S. There, Janert applied the necessary chemical processes associated with semiconductor plasma etch, where plasma interacts with a gas sample in a chamber, producing a characteristic glow that helps to reveal the elements present. The results, which show up on the plate as cratered features, then showcase the strength of the recipe of gases and other parameters used to develop the plasma, leading to the resulting etch.
In Oregon, Janert also worked in tool management, experimental design and optical emission spectroscopy, a wavelength analysis to determine elemental composition of gases present in the plasma chamber.He continued this focus after moving to Miyagi, Japan, for the remainder of his TEL internship in July 2025.
“This was a great path for me to take because I want to be an engineer while also connecting these two cultures and major parts of about me,” Janert said. "Interning in both the (semiconductor industry in) U.S. and Japan showed me firsthand how work cultures differ and taught me that true adaptability goes beyond language and culture:it means embracing new ways of working.”
The Purdue Semiconductor Career Fair is 1-6 p.m. on Sept. 15 at the Purdue Memorial Union. Students can network with top-tier companies offering internship and work opportunities and meet students who are pursuing semiconductor careers.