The Grandin Papers

"The Grandin Papers is a compilation of some of my most important scientific papers with an emphasis on livestock facility design, the development of animal welfare auditing programs, and behavior of cattle and horses during handling. They are in chronological order. I chose the papers and book chapters that would most likely be of interest to the general public, policymakers, and people interested in farm animal welfare and behavior. This anthology will show how my thinking has evolved over a fifty-year career.” —Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin is famous for her groundbreaking approach to decoding animal behavior. Her 50 + years of experience in observing animals shines through in The Grandin Papers. Dr. Grandin’s professional training as a scientist and her amazing life as a person with autism has given her a perspective like that of no other expert in the field of animal science. The Grandin Papers celebrate her storied career.

A professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, Dr. Grandin is also a designer of livestock handling facilities. The curved chute and race systems she has designed for cattle are in worldwide use, and her writings on the flight zone and other principles of grazing animal behavior have helped people to reduce stress on their animals during handling. She has also developed an extraordinarily successful objective scoring system for assessing the handling of cattle and pigs at meat plants. Other areas of research include:
Cattle temperamentEnvironmental enrichment for pigsTraining proceduresHorse perception of novel objectsEffective stunning methods for cattle and pigs at meat plantsAnd much moreSelected Awards:
University Distinguished Professor, Colorado State University - 2022Named top 10 Best College Professors in the U.S., CEO Magazine - 2020 National Women's Hall of Fame - 2017The Distinguished Alumni Medallion, National 4-H Council - 2012 Liberty Science Center Distinguished Humanitarian Award - 2011Inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame - 2010U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary's Highest Award - 2007Founder’s Award, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - 1999
Dr. Grandin is also a past member of the board of directors of the Autism Society of America. She lectures to parents and teachers throughout the U.S. on her experiences with autism, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, People, National Public Radio, and 20/20. She was one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year. The HBO movie based on her life, starring Claire Danes, received seven Emmy Awards.