Time Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in the “Heroes” category.
Dr. Grandin is a prominent author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior. She has spent her career consulting on both livestock handling equipment design and animal welfare. Today, half the cattle in the United States are handled in facilities she designed. In addition, she has shared insights into her personal experience with autism and is the inventor of the “hug box” device, which is used to calm those on the autism spectrum.
Dr. Grandin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, as Mary Temple, but she is most known as Temple. She has written multiple books and she has been the subject of various documentaries and was portrayed in the award-winning semi-biographical film titled Temple Grandin, in which she was portrayed by Claire Danes. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human psychology from Franklin Pierce College, a master’s degree in animal science from Arizona State University, and her doctorate in animal science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Her first book, Emergence: Labeled Autistic was published in 1986. Since then, she has written and edited multiple books on both autism and animals. Her animal books include Temple Grandin’s Guide to Working with Farm Animals, Animals in Translation—Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, Animals Makes Us Human—Creating the Best Life for Animals, Humane Livestock Handling—Understanding Livestock Behavior and Building Facilities for Healthier Animals, Improving Animal Welfare: A Practical Approach, Livestock Handling and Transport, and Genetics and Behavior of Domestic Animals. She is also the author and co-author of dozens of peer-reviewed scientific papers on animal behavior topics.
Dr. Grandin lectures around the world about her research into animal welfare and the behavior of cattle, how they react to ranchers, movements, objects, and light. She has been awarded multiple awards, received various honorary degrees, and is an Honorary Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication. She is also an inductee into the Texas Trail of Fame, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Women’s Hall of Fame. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) gave her their Meritorious Achievement Award in 2015.
Those not attending the full conference can still come to the banquet to hear Dr. Grandin for $95 or for the entire day on Sunday for only $195. In addition to the awards banquet, the CHA International Conference will include sessions for riding instructors, top veterinarians, horse trainers, farriers, equine behaviorists, and other equine professionals. Mounted workshops will give participants the chance to learn from the back of a horse while the audience learns from live demonstrations. For more information on the CHA International Conference or to register, visit http://CHAInstructors.com/conference
CHA Instructors Change Lives Through Safe Experiences with Horses. The purpose of CHA is to promote excellence in safety and education for the benefit of the horse industry. CHA certifies instructors and trail guides, accredits equestrian facilities, publishes educational manuals, produces educational horsemanship DVDs and YouTube Safety shorts, and hosts regional and international conferences. For more information on the largest certifying body of riding instructors and barn managers in North America, Certified Horsemanship Association, please visit www.CHA.horse or call 859-259-3399. To find a certified horseback riding instructor or accredited equine facility near you, visit www.CHAinstructors.com
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