Speaker to share ideas about human thoughts
Kelly Neuner
Issue date: 1/29/08 Section: News
Temple Grandin will be on campus as part of Denison's Hum|an|imal themed lecture series from Jan. 30-31.
Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism, Grandin went on to earn degrees in animal science and psychology. She applied her own experiences with autism to create humane slaughterhouses for cows, designed to reduce their anxiety and fear.
Co-sponsored by the McGregor Connections Initiative and the student group HOPE for Autism, Grandin was invited to share her ground-breaking insights on human thought patterns and communication, and how she applied these to her appreciation for animals.
Her memoir created a new understanding of how autistics think and communicate, according to Marlaine Browning, program coordinator for the McGregor Connections Initiative.
Her application of "thinking in pictures" to the thought process of animals ties directly to the Hum|an|imal theme, which explores the relationships between humans and animals.
"We hope her visit will provide one perspective of this relationship which deals with questions of difference, identity, communication and the contested borderlands between the minds of humans and other animals," Browning said.
On Wednesday, Jan. 30, she will attend a screening of her BBC documentary, "The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow" at 7:30 p.m. in Higley Auditorium.
She will be available to students on Thursday before her main talk titled "Animals, Autism and Design" in Swasey Chapel at 8:00 p.m.
Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism, Grandin went on to earn degrees in animal science and psychology. She applied her own experiences with autism to create humane slaughterhouses for cows, designed to reduce their anxiety and fear.
Co-sponsored by the McGregor Connections Initiative and the student group HOPE for Autism, Grandin was invited to share her ground-breaking insights on human thought patterns and communication, and how she applied these to her appreciation for animals.
Her memoir created a new understanding of how autistics think and communicate, according to Marlaine Browning, program coordinator for the McGregor Connections Initiative.
Her application of "thinking in pictures" to the thought process of animals ties directly to the Hum|an|imal theme, which explores the relationships between humans and animals.
"We hope her visit will provide one perspective of this relationship which deals with questions of difference, identity, communication and the contested borderlands between the minds of humans and other animals," Browning said.
On Wednesday, Jan. 30, she will attend a screening of her BBC documentary, "The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow" at 7:30 p.m. in Higley Auditorium.
She will be available to students on Thursday before her main talk titled "Animals, Autism and Design" in Swasey Chapel at 8:00 p.m.
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