Boston is ripe with tech innovations and events, especially this week as the city marks the third annual HUBweek Festival, a six-day showcase on the intersection of art, science and technology.
HUBweek bills itself as “Greater Boston’s festival for the future,” and the future is now. The festival starts Tuesday, Oct. 10, and goes until Oct. 15, featuring more than 175 events.
“Boston is a center of innovation and creative thinking, and events like HUBweek showcase some of the best Boston has to offer,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. “I look forward to welcoming the third HUBweek to our city, and encourage our residents to take advantage of these engaging events.”
HUBweek, which was founded by the Boston Globe, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, tackles everything from artificial intelligence to architecture through talks, interactive workshops, tours and even out-of-this-world meditation sessions. Here are a few free things worth checking out this week.
“Walk a Mile” Poverty Simulation: We all know the idiom that advises that before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. This HUBweek event lets you do just that. For the two-hour simulation, you live out the role of a family member for five “days” dealing with the stressors of poverty, whether it is a parent working three jobs or a child who can’t get to school if they miss the bus. Oct. 10, 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Twilight: Exploring the Unconscious Mind: If you’ve had surgery, you’ve probably been put under anesthesia. Massachusetts General Hospital was the first to use ether as anesthesia in 1846. This event looks at how medicine was changed forever by that move, and how it will continue to advance, especially in light of how progress in anesthesiology research may help combat the opioid epidemic. Oct. 11, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
The Harvard Yard Archaeology Project Experienced in Augmented Reality: Recent excavations on Harvard’s campus explored the 17th through 19th century lives of students and faculty who worked in Harvard Yard. If you missed those, this augmented reality application will let you explore the excavations and artifacts recovered. Oct. 11, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Stories Under the Stars: Hear true stories, “both personal and inspired by science,” according to the event page, on the theme “light in the dark,” as you sit beneath the cosmos at the Museum of Science’s Charles Hayden Planetarium. There are three of these events, all of which will use live storytelling, radio and music. Oct. 13, 4:00 p.m., Oct. 14, 4:30 p.m., Oct. 15, 10:15 a.m.
Robot Block Party: Robots are everywhere, like in our cars, our homes and our warehouses. This showcase at City Hall brings together than 20 robots so you can interact with them, watch product demos and learn about the “Massachusetts robotics ecosystem.” Oct. 15, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Free HUB Pass registration required.
