Common Hour

Sept. 3, 2026
Listening to Coral Reefs, One Fish at a Time
How novel recording and computing technologies are turning natural history into a powerful tool for ocean conservation

Dr. Marc Dantzker; proposed by Dan Ardia
Marc Dantzker, Ph.D., is the founder and Executive Director of FishEye Collaborative. FishEye Collaborative is an emerging conservation technology non-profit specializing in marine conservation bioacoustics. They do research and development on non-invasive listening technologies that can help evaluate and protect ocean habitats. The work of the non-profit is transforming how we approach studying marine biodiversity and conservation.
 
Oct. 15, 2026
Thinking With and Beyond Innocence

Dr. Miriam Ticktin; proposed by Anne Stachura in conjunction with the Reckoning with Lancaster Mellon grant
Miriam Ticktin is Professor of Anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center, and Director of the Center for Place, Culture and Politics (CPCP). Her recent research explores the political work done by the concept of innocence, tracking how, in the Euro-American context, discourses and images of innocence get assembled and weaponized across the fields of immigration, reproductive justice, racial politics and environmentalism, and used to decide why and how we should care, for whom, and whose lives matter. A politics grounded on innocence justifies a world built on inequality, designating most people— especially the racialized poor—as unworthy, undeserving, and less than human. As an alternative, she explores the aesthetics and politics of “commoning”—a collective regime of living that refuses a liberal politics of individual identity and victimhood.

Oct. 22, 2026
Rethinking How We Prepare Humans for the World We’re In

Janine Matho '94; proposed by Joe Lee
What if feeling overwhelmed, scattered, or stretched thin isn’t a personal failing, but a sign that we were never taught how to navigate the world we’re in today? This talk explores what’s missing in how we develop humans and what we can begin to do, individually and collectively, to better prepare ourselves for the realities we’re living in.

Janine is an F&M alumna and author of Live Your Opus who focuses on helping individuals design lives and careers rooted in purpose, creativity, and personal agency. Her work bridges professional development, storytelling, and reflective practice. She encourages individuals to think intentionally about how they define success and impact. The event will be structured as a keynote-style talk followed by a moderated conversation and audience Q&A. This format will allow Janine to share her personal and professional journey – including from her time at F&M – while also engaging directly with students on practical questions around career paths, risk-taking, and aligning values with work.