Oct. 7, 2024

Ferris State’s Diesel Days to offer students added interactive experiences Oct. 9-10 in Heavy Equipment Center

Adding interactive opportunities inside and outside of Ferris State University’s Heavy Equipment Center is among the enhancements for high schoolers from across Michigan attending the annual “Diesel Days” program.

The event, sponsored by Alta Equipment, is planned for Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10.

Heavy Equipment Service Technology Professor Dan Meyers, a Ferris State alum and director of Automotive and Heavy Equipment, anticipates total capacity for displays inside and around the Heavy Equipment Center.

About 50 vendors will engage high school students daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Diesel Days also includes an open house on Oct. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. for students considering careers.

“We want to keep adding companies whose interactive displays engage our audience,” Meyers said. “As the country’s leading four-year degree program in Heavy Equipment, we are now sending interns from Florida to Alaska, which is a real expansion for that program in the last decade.”

Meyers said he hopes Ferris State students in the College of Engineering Technology and other programs visit.

“The open house provides a chance to speak with our guests from companies who will see around 300 high schoolers each morning of Diesel Days,” Meyers said. “Companies from beyond the Midwest know about the stature of our program and are actively recruiting our students, often through Diesel Days visits.”

High school students from intermediate school districts, regional education service areas and other tech-focused learning will tour the Heavy Equipment Center, receive a classroom experience, dine on campus and have opportunities to meet with vendors.

“We made adjustments last year to our schedule for these students and are happy with the design of this program as an introduction to what we can offer them,” Meyers said.

Click Heavy Equipment for more information about academic program offerings.