“Make the environment work for you not against you. Never leave up to willpower and self-discipline what you can do with the environment.”

Temple Grandin was born in 1947 in Boston, MA. At the age of 2, Grandin was diagnosed with “brain damage” and recommended to be institutionalized. Fortunately, her family had the resources to provide speech therapy and a structured home and school environment. She was eventually diagnosed with autism as an adult and became a strong advocate for people with ADS. In school, Grandin was a keen visual thinker and loved livestock. Grandin obtained a BA from Franklin Pierce College, and MS from Arizona State, and a PhD in Animal Science from UIUC. Upon graduating, she became a professor of Animal Science at CSU. Grandin’s research proved that humane animal treatment can produce better meat, reduce illness, and improve facility safety at cattle facilities. Her work developed animal welfare guidelines that affect over half of all cattle in the US. As an activist, Grandin has also written 10 books for people with ASD.