Temple Grandin: A leading woman in animal welfare

Have you heard the name Temple Grandin before? If not then you should keep reading, and even if you have stick around. Dr. Temple Grandin is the lady we have to thank for a majority of the cattle handling equipment we have today as well as a lot of the research we have on animal welfare. Did I mention that she is also a huge advocate for neuro divergent community given her own autism diagnosis. Keep reading to find out a little more about her extraordinary career. 

Temple Grandin

Dr. Grandin born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1947, did not receive a formal autism diagnosis until adulthood , making her childhood and schooling a little more difficult than most. The research on autism at the time was sublime at most, but her mother and advocate at the time helped to make sure Temple had the resources she needed to make it through high school. Following high school Grandin earned her bachelor's in Psychology from Franklin Pierce University, master's in animal sciences from Arizona State University and Doctorate in animal sciences from University of Illinois. Following her schooling she got right to work. 

Grandin has spent a majority of her career examining the behaviors of livestock to understand their tendencies. Her extensive research and observations allowed her to design cattle handling equipment that reduces the stress on the animals when they are being moved and worked with. One of her major designs was of the center track (double rail) conveyor restrainer system, which holds cattle during stunning at slaughtering plants. She found that the stress on an animal before slaughter affects the meat quality. 

While Grandin is a brilliant scientist she is also a strong voice in the autism community. Grandin was one of the first individuals to publish books and explain to the public what it is like living with autism. She has shown the world that people with autism are capable of having successful thriving careers. She noted that some of things she experiences with autism, such as noise sensitivity and being scared by her environment in certain situations helped her make observations about how animals might feel, which drove some of her research. 

Overall, Temple Grandin is a great example of a woman doing phenomenal things in the field of autism and agriculture. Her research is worth looking into if you want to learn more about this pioneer in animal welfare and handling. You can check out her website
here for more information about her life and research.