Temple Grandin, Ph.D., will kick off the 2024 Nebraska Science Festival with an evening presentation.

Grandin, who has Autism, is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and believes in the impact animals have on humans.

 Grandin was not able to speak and had severe signs of autism at age 2 and took hours of therapy and intensive teaching to learn speech. Her high school science teacher encouraged her to purse a career as a scientist and a livestock equipment designer.

She has designed equipment used by half of the meat packing companies in the U.S. and Canada. She has developed animal wealfare guidelines for the meat industry and consulted with companies on animal welfare. She continues her research at Colorado State University and teachers courses on livestock handling and facility design.

Her latest book is “Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets For Helping Kids on the Spectrum.” Her book Animals in Translation was a New York Times best seller, and her book Livestock Handling and Transport is in its fourth edition.

General admission tickets are free but required for admittance; tickets will be available March 1 via Eventbrite. The program is suggested for ages 12 and older. 

The Nebraska Science Festival, which runs throughout April, features an array of science- and technology-related activities in communities across the state – all designed to make science accessible, interactive, relevant and fun for all ages.