CoRtEx — Certificate of Experience on Semiconductor Training Readiness Through Experiential Learning — connects coursework, laboratory training, and an industry capstone at Colorado School of Mines. The project brings together Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, and Physics.

Three areas of work

  1. Certificate development. Define the pathway with educational and industry input, using relevant existing courses.
  2. Capstone supervision. Work with industry partners to provide semiconductor-related project experience.
  3. Tools integration. Adapt SMILE training tools to equipment in the Mines cleanroom and integrate them into laboratory instruction.

Year 1 plan

These are planned activities from the project summary, rather than a report of completed milestones.

Through September 2026

Define the certificate scope with educational and industry experts. Prepare a public program page and adapt SMILE detection models using images and videos of Mines cleanroom equipment.

October – December 2026

Integrate and test interactive SMILE tools in the Mines Nanofabrication Facility. Identify industry capstone partners.

January – March 2027

Deliver the first offering of the revised microelectronics processing laboratory course and supervise capstone projects.

April – June 2027

Collect student feedback, evaluate outcomes and partnerships, and prepare course materials for sharing through NNME’s openly licensed digital repository.

Planned outcomes

The Year 1 project summary sets targets of 15 learners, 10 credentials awarded, one modernized course, and six graduates entering semiconductor careers. These figures are program goals, not measured results.

Sharing materials

The project plans to share curriculum and training modules with consortium partners through NNME. A repository link will be added when the materials are available. In the meantime, the SMILE browser tools are linked on this site.