Modesto Junior college is offering two special presentations by Temple Grandin, Ph.D., professor, inventor, best-selling author and prominent speaker on both autism and animal behavior. 

The first presentation, targeted at the animal agriculture community, is “Understanding Animal Behavior” at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Agricultural Center for Education Pavilion on West Campus, 2201 Blue Gum Ave., Modesto.  Admission and campus parking are free.  Seating is limited and is on a first come, first served basis.

The second engagement, “Calling All Minds: Educating Students Who Think Differently, “that is scheduled for Nov. 7 is already sold out.

Wide selections of Grandin’s books are for sale at each event and a book signing opportunity follows each presentation. In addition to the two speeches, MJC’s Civic Engagement Project is offering a free screening of the HBO Emmy Award winning movie “Temple Grandin” at 7 p.m. Nov. 1. in Forum 110 on East Campus.

Grandin, who is autistic, did not talk until she was three and a half years old, and doctors encouraged her mother to institutionalize her saying she would never amount to anything and would be a burden on her family. However, she was fortunate to get early speech therapy and was mainstreamed into a normal kindergarten at age five. 

Today Grandin is a renowned author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior, and a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University.  She also has a successful career consulting on both livestock handling equipment design and animal welfare, and has published seven books about working with animals. She also changed the way the food industry processes animals to be more humane and minimize loss by understanding animal behavior. 

Additional information about Grandin’s published work and accomplishments is available at https://www.templegrandin.com.