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Temple GrandinAmerican scientist, professor at Colorado State University, author of several best-selling books, animal behavior specialist and consultant
Date of Birth: 29.08.1947
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Biography of Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is an American scientist, professor at Colorado State University, author of several bestsellers, and an expert and consultant on animal behavior. She is also known for her personal experience with autism. Grandin was born on August 29, 1947, in Boston, Massachusetts. At the age of two, she was diagnosed with autism and brain damage, which led to her placement in a specialized nursery school with what she considers to be excellent teachers.

Grandin's mother followed the doctor's advice and enrolled her in speech therapy sessions. Additionally, she hired a nanny who engaged in developmental play with Grandin and her sister for hours. Grandin experienced a delay in speech development and only began speaking at the age of four. She considers herself fortunate to have always had support, from nursery school to elementary school and beyond. However, middle school was a challenging period for her due to her poor speech skills. Other children found her to be odd and mocked her without mercy.

After graduating from Hampshire Country School, an overnight school for gifted children in New Hampshire, in 1966, Grandin earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce College in 1970. She went on to obtain a master's degree in animal science from Arizona State University in 1975 and a doctoral degree in the same field from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1989. She has also been awarded honorary degrees from various universities, including Carnegie Mellon University in 2012, McGill University in 1999, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in 2009. She became a member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers during the same period.

Grandin is widely known for her advocacy work in protecting the rights of people with autism and promoting animal welfare. In 2004, she received the 'Proggy' award from the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. One of her most famous essays, titled 'Animals Are Not Things,' argues that while animals are technically considered property in modern society, laws ultimately grant them rights and ethical protection. She compares owning cows to owning screwdrivers, listing the potential uses for both to benefit humans. However, she points out that there is a fundamental difference when it comes to causing pain: a person can lawfully break a screwdriver, but they do not have the right to inflict unnecessary suffering on an animal. According to Grandin, using animals for food is ethical as long as they are provided with a peaceful life and a painless death.
Grandin gained recognition after being featured in Oliver Sacks' book 'An Anthropologist on Mars' in 1995, where an entire chapter is dedicated to her. In the mid-1980s, she made her first public appearance on the topic of autism at the request of Ruth C. Sullivan, one of the founders of the Autism Society of America. Grandin speaks from personal experience and advocates for early intervention in the lives of children with autism and understanding, patient teachers who can gently guide their development in the right direction. She shares her heightened sensitivity to noise and other sensory stimuli, explaining that she primarily thinks in images and only secondarily in words. Grandin attributes her success as a designer of humane livestock facilities to her ability to retain the smallest details in her memory.
Despite her accomplishments, Grandin has never been married and does not have children. Her hobbies include horseback riding, science fiction, and cinema. She is also interested in biochemistry.