Kai Ze Ee’s insatiable curiosity was piqued when his family discussed global warming.

 

The way carbon dioxide, ozone and energy interacted in the greenhouse effect was a pressing concern. Storms were becoming harsher, and the seas were getting higher, Ee heard in school, at home and even in idle conversation during golf lessons.

Ee wanted to do something.

 

But combining his curiosity and determination to solve problems — especially as an engineer, encouraged by his family — didn’t come to mind until he moved from Singapore to West Lafayette, Indiana, to attend Purdue University in fall 2022.

 

One class on energy efficiency and computer processing had then-first-year student Ee hooked on computer engineering. His introduction to semiconductors came the following spring with the Office of Professional Practice (OPP) Silicon Valley Tech Trek in spring 2023.

 

By the end of Summer Training, Awareness and Readiness for Semiconductors through the Engineering Undergraduate Research Office the following summer, Ee had found an interesting career path. One that might even equip him to address climate change.

 

He tried his first class about semiconductors, “Changing the World through Chips (ENGR 10301), that fall.

 

It was awesome.

 

“In the semiconductors class, we had a lot of industry speakers come talk about (their companies) and how they're involved in this field,” said Ee, a senior. “In addition to that, the Silicon Valley trip was exposure to what day-to-day engineering is like and what types of problems they face.”

 

Designing quality semiconductors means that the chips must be able to run complex applications within tight physical limitations, like small size, limited power ductility and optimal wiring. The Changing the World with Chips spring 2023 course was the final catalyst that inspired Ee to add the Industry Knowledge Certificate in Semiconductors and Microelectronics to his academic plan.

 

“If current computing systems continue growing or scaling the way they do (now), the energy demand will simply be unsustainable,” Ee said. “So how can we make these systems more efficient? The solution is in the intersection between electrical engineering and computer science, where semiconductors play a big role in our field.”

 

The semiconductors certificate — established in 2023 — includes 16 credits of required courses and work experience through research or internships. It’s one of three Industry Knowledge Certificates available through OPP — in addition to the Certificate in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and the Innovation for Public Service Certificate, in collaboration with the NobleReach Foundation — that allow Purdue students to make professional and industrial strides in high-demand job skills before graduation.

 

Over 250 Purdue students are pursuing the semiconductors certificate, representing 27 majors, including 13 in the College of Engineering.

 

Students pursuing the semiconductors certificate have been hired for internships by more than 50 companies domestically, according to data gathered by OPP. As of 2025, 38 students have graduated with the certificate.

 

Learning high-demand skills in industrial situations — and being paid to do so after graduation — lined up with Ee’s “aggressive” curiosity and problem-solving style. The certificate’s research opportunities would let him explore problems down to the roots.

 

“When I first met Kai Ze, he had already accomplished an incredible amount, completing multiple OPP programs all before even beginning his sophomore year,” said Sophie Tung, the semiconductor Co-op program manager for OPP. “As my TA for the Changing the World with Chips course, I saw firsthand his intelligence, diligence and humility, paired with a natural sense of leadership. After enrolling in the Industry Knowledge Certificate program as soon as it launched, Kai Ze made the most of every opportunity to connect with industry professionals and deepen his experience.

 

“It’s been inspiring to watch his continued growth. He’s now a senior with the knowledge, confidence and professional experience to thrive in whatever path he chooses next.”

 

Ee tackled all kinds of semiconductor-related issues in his summer 2024 internship as a product design engineering intern at Western Digital — fulfilling his internship requirement for the certificate. He learned and worked with the post-silicon validation workflow, responsible for quality checks of silicon disks printed and etched to conduct certain elements. Ee implemented a machine learning workflow to identify defective objects automatically, which connected to his coding and modeling experiences from 10 months on the Indianapolis Children’s Museum EPICS project.

 

He was prepared to tackle even more semiconductor subjects in a summer 2025 internship with Micron Technology. He converted an Excel system into a Python workflow to serve as a proactive power calculator. It was a process of trial and error, with Ee doing and redoing several days of calculations with professional engineers’ feedback, but he got the hang of the system and developed it to be ready for client use.

 

But what became equally important to his product architecture internship was a deep understanding of context, conversation and listening.

 

“I was essentially the interface between the system architecture team and the business unit,” Ee said.

 

Ee took fastidious notes in meetings and upon receiving requests while also keeping track of — and participating in — team conversations with the business unit. Then he would share what he learned with the system architecture team, translating business terminology into engineering fundamentals.

 

“It’s actually essential to engineering, being able to talk with people, understand what they need and be able to share what you're thinking,” Ee said. “Technical terms are something everyone can pick up with time. But if you know the answer to a problem and can’t share it, that’s a big obstacle.”

 

Ee called the Industry Knowledge Certificate “a positive feedback loop” of information, networking and growth.

 

“I want to know more about a problem, even if sometimes it's none of my business,” Ee said. “Engineering is a manifestation of that. I saw it as an avenue to approach the problems that I thought were important, like carbon dioxide emissions in our atmosphere and global warming. Semiconductors was the field where I had opportunities to apply engineering as a tool to take small steps toward solving those problems.”