MSU students in the Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine anticipated the arrival of Out of Sync, Britney Shears and Christina Posterior Angulara on Thursday afternoon at East Fee Hall.

Those aren’t typos. Those are the fictional names that Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine faculty members took, as well as donning corresponding costumes, for a special preview of a new lab in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The lab is a facility in which students are taught osteopathic manipulative techniques. Improvements over the old lab include new mechanical tables for practicing these techniques, two projection televisions and Internet access.

Mark Gugel, an associate professor in the Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, said the event was a good chance for the doctors to have some fun while showing off the new lab to students. The characters the doctors adopted for the ceremony were presented earlier this year to students at the Fee Follies. They were so well-received at the college’s annual variety show that the doctors decided to dress the same for the opening.

“We thought it was a good chance to bring Out of Sync out of the closet,” Gugel said. “We like to show the students that we can have fun in medicine.”

Dave Grimshaw, who is also an assistant professor in the department, said the opening was mainly for the students.

“We have a great rapport with our students,” Grimshaw said. “This was a chance to give them a look at our new facility.

“The lab is a really great advance for us, the equipment, the new technology, it’s really hands-on.”

James Rechtien, the acting chairman of the Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, said it was the decision of the entire college to build the lab. It was paid for through the college’s own fund-raising.

“The lab is really a property of not just the department, but of the entire college,” Rechtien said. “The whole college benefits from this new lab.”

Rechtien said the new lab is more efficient than the old one.

“The lab has tremendous amounts of potential,” he said. “I think it’s one of the best teaching labs in the school of medicine.”

Rechtien said the juniors and seniors in the College of Osteopathic Medicine do much of their training outside the university, and would have to frequently return to the school to study. He said with the new technology in the lab, students will be able to participate in classes online, rather than actually being at the university.

“It’s more than just about taking care of freshmen and sophomores here at the university. It’s about taking care of the juniors and seniors as well,” Rechtien said. “This lab has the ability to outreach the program right to them.”

Rechtien said the information provided by the lab has been available for years, but now faculty will be able to provide it more easily.

“I think this lab puts us on the cutting edge of osteopathic manipulative medicine throughout the country,” Rechtien said.