I engineer orthopaedic implants, and one of the things that is very interesting when considering design and excecution of implants is the culture of the physicians who will be using them.

Physicians who train in different countries (or time periods for that matter) have various preferences on what approaches they use and how they utilize certain devices. What is interesting about this case is that European surgeons are more likely to take hardware OUT of the patient after the fracture is resolved.

This is in contrast to US surgeons who tend to leave everything IN, supposedly to minimise the risk of second surgical exposure. Which technique is correct is up for debate, due to issues like infection rates and stress shielding, but this technology allows the best of both worlds.

This would not replace casting, for reasons mentioned above, but also because casting alone is only used on non-displaced fractures (or displace fractures that can be easily be aligned again).

Of even more interest is the mechanical characteristics of this material. Fracture plates that have moduli closer to bone don't produce as much stress sheilding, which causes the load path to run primarily through the plate and not the bone. Though this sounds like a good idea, bone relies on strain (which it sees due to stress applied and young's modulus) to signal bone remodeling. Too much shunting of load and the bone atriphies, making it likely to break again. These "absorbable" technologies usually produce a more compliant device, which is good for this. However, there is also the issue of the device breaking down and loosing rigidity before the bone can fully support load.

This idea has been done before, it will be interesting to see how this one pans out.

I've always thought that teaching something that combined science, engineering, and Vo-Tek would be highly practical in high school.

How about Small Engines? You can buy a small lawnmower engine (and a manual) and teach them principles of mechanics and combustion while also levening parts of "how things work" as well as basic repair techniques. Eventually you put the thing back together and start it up. You can even show how to mess with it to trick it out or solve common problems.

Not only would this get kids interested in science and engineering, but it would be practical.

First of all, your post doesn't really say whether you are entering this lab as a tech or a student. I assume a student because no one would hire a tech out of high school when they can get a undergrad for free (who has taken classes and actually knows something).

You are not going to be expected to find your own ass being fresh out of high school. If you are competent and work hard, you will be noticed and it will be to your benefit. I have had collegues who have gotten lots of recomendations, nominations for fellowships, ect by doing good work right out of the box.

Lab is usually chill. Some PI's like to run it like a family, some like a gulag. Keep laced up until you get the feel, then you will know when you can BS with your labmates and when you have to pull a 14 hour each day on a weekend to get something done (usually applies to grads, nobody trusts undergrads with real work).

I have had some monster PI's and some who I owe my career too. You are young and early enough in your academic career to switch if they guy is crazy (one of mine made the techs cry EVERY DAY, we went through a tech every two weeks.)

Your labmates and the demiPI's (post docs, grad students, assistant profs) are the ones you will learn most of the ropes and info from. They don't expect you to have it wired on your first or fiftith day, but make sure you don't alienate or piss them off cuz they are spending time away from their work to help the nOOB. Most help and info is handed out with a smile so don't be afraid to ask, it's better that pretending to know and fcuking up.

Join a frat, club, whatever. Meet people in whatever way you like the most. Don't listen to haters who say this is bad, that is bad, the whole point of freekin college is to learn, think, and find stuff out for yourself. (yes, you can be a uber nerd and be in a frat, it will teach you some social skills and you will have crazy experiences (good ones) that you can never get anywhere else. Just be choosy, frats are like jobs, schools, friends, bosses: some are cool, some are assholes).

Finally, ask to see if you can head up a project or experiment (after you get a little more salty) with the hope of publishing. This will be your ticket to the choise grad schools, fellowships and funding, women (ok, not women -> see clubs, frat, ect).

Have fun and meet people (and try not to subsist on junk food, the fresh 15 is no joke)