Meat + Poultry - November 2016 - 15

Academic all-star
A valued CSU faculty member, Dr. Temple Grandin
influences and inspires students to succeed
BY J O E L C R E WS | j c r e w s @ s o s l a n d.c o m

A

gray sign outside her office is
unassuming and the name plate that
reads "Temple Grandin" is slightly
askew. Inside, the walls are lined with a series
of tall metal book shelves, file cabinets and a
windowed lawyer's bookcase. All are loaded,
end-to-end, with books, stacks of papers,
journal articles and magazines and anywhere
shelf space is available are displayed dozens
of certificates, trophies, plaques and statues
commemorating Grandin's contributions to
a wide range of industries, institutions and
associations. Ranking near the top of her career
accomplishments, which include decades
devoted to improving animal welfare practices
in the food industry and serving as a resource
and a voice of inspiration to people affected by
autism, is the impact she's had on students as a
professor of animal science at Colorado State
Univ. (CSU) in Fort Collins. For more than 25
years Grandin has taught at CSU and at the age
of 69, she has no plans of quitting.
"Teaching I will do until I drop dead," said
Grandin, who was one of six educators to
receive the CSU Alumni Association's Best
Teacher Award earlier this year.
For decades, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., has
earned a reputation for being the world's
leading expert on creating livestock handling
systems and she has traveled the world
consulting with companies that supply some
of the highest-profile quick-service chains
and foodservice outlets. Besides operating
a thriving business, Grandin Livestock
Handling Systems Inc., she wears the hats of:
engineer, researcher, author, MEAT+POULTRY
contributing editor, lecturer, autism expert and
many others. But early in life, she remembers
being drawn to something more profound than
perhaps any of those endeavors.
"When I was in elementary school I kind of

thought about the idea of being a teacher."
That thought flourished, and now, after
25-plus years of teaching, she also finds
herself playing the role of career guidance
counselor not only for students in her classes,
but other undergraduates trying to find their
way. Inspiring them to discover a career that
flips their switch is something Grandin is
passionate about.
"I think one of the most valuable things
I can do today is get students turned on,"
she says of her efforts to inspire and provide
guidance to young people whose backgrounds
and career expectations are evolving. While her
career has been focused on animal science and
designing animal handling systems, Grandin
relishes advising people about how to find
meaningful work in whatever occupation they
might pursue.
She shares that there was an autistic park
ranger that called her the previous evening
who worked at a national monument in
Washington, DC, and was frustrated by some of
the granular details of the job. Her advice isn't
limited to students, as Grandin encouraged him
to focus on the importance of his role and how
impactful it can be. "You're the tour guide for
the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington
Memorial, tell the kids what it means," she told
the caller. "You're a park ranger; they look up
to you."

"Teaching I
will do until
I drop dead."
- TEMPLE GRANDIN

BACK TO SCHOOL
Grandin typically is wearing her academic
hat every Monday and Tuesday during the
school year, teaching classes and working
with up to three graduate students, whose
expenses, salaries and research projects she
finances personally. She currently works
closely with Helen Kline and Dana Wagner,
who are pursuing their doctorate degrees as

Temple Grandin serves
on the faculty at CSU as a
professor of animal science.

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