editor’s note: this story was revised 02-15 at 11:55 a.m.

by Brooke Bunch

If you’re a member of the Ohio General Assembly or other elected state official touring the college, and we’ve seen several since the beginning of fall quarter, one “can’t miss” stop on the tour is the osteopathic manipulative medicine laboratory on the ground floor of Grosvenor Hall.

Complete with state-of-the-art digital cameras, plasma screens and hydraulic tables, the new OMM lab should serve as a near ideal osteopathic training facility for years to come.

The lab, which was ready for students in the fall quarter, incorporates top-notch visuals and equipment, providing a high-tech learning environment for OU-COM students.

“I’ve seen labs all over the country,” says David Eland, D.O., associate professor of family medicine and section head for OMM. “And this is right up there in my opinion for what it has to offer students.”

The newly restored lab boasts an all-new power-point projector, specially-ordered lighting, brand-new digital camera, and a newly centered podium to ensure the highest possible visibility for students. The podium was previously against a wall according to Eland.

“Now we can have 50 to 60 students in the lab who are no more than one table from the center,” he says. “There is great visibility and better clarity for learning purposes.”

Dan Smith, distance learning coordinator, says the closeness was a crucial aspect of the renovation project.

“The closer the students are to the instructor and better able to see, the more they will feel part of the presentation and more apt to ask questions,” Smith says. “The intimacy of the lab’s layout promotes learning and a better exchange of information.”

New hydraulic OMM tables have the ability to adjust to a student’s height. In addition, a former lab was converted into a locker room complete with 240 lockers.

Newer technology gives students the capacity to review lectures via the Web as well.

“It’s a big upgrade in size, atmosphere and technology over the old OMM lab,” says Dean Dupler, building services coordinator. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from students and faculty members.”

According to Dupler, the project cost $292,500, which includes $33,000 in private donations to purchase new tables.

The remaining funds came from state house bill funds — in the amount of $141,500 — which covered the purchase of additional OMM tables and other instructional equipment, and approximately $118,000 of the college’s operating budget covered the renovation and other expenses.

“We had a great deal of help and support,” Eland says. “Those generous donations made a world of difference. Everyone deserves some thanks for this project.”

Eland says, overall the OMM lab “makeover” was a success.

“It was an intensive process and had a lot of detail and planning,” he says. “The final product shows for itself how well everyone did in the project. It’s quite a change — quite a wonderful change.”

“After they’ve gone through the lecture, they can go back and review class on a Web site,” he says. “It gives them a chance to go back and see what they might have missed in class.”

According to Smith, videoconferencing to the CORE system will also be feasible after additional equipment is installed.

“What everyone has seen so far is not what it’s totally capable of,” Smith says. “There are a variety of technological enhancements we have yet to tap into.

“More important, we are considering some improvements that will expand the possibilities of the in-class experience even moreso.”