Temple Grandin, CSU prof, named one of Time's 100 most influential people

Photo courtesy Cornell University

Temple Grandin is keeping some impressive company.

It's been a nice year thus far for CSU professor/cow whisperer Temple Grandin. In February, she was portrayed by actress Claire Danes in Temple Grandin, a well-reviewed HBO biopic. And now, she's been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.

Grandin, who was quizzed by Time earlier this year about the movie, appears in the "Heroes" section of the roster alongside the likes of Bill Clinton, Tristan Lecomte, P. Namperumalsamy and, yes, Ben Stiller. Penning her appreciation is Marc Hauser, a Harvard professor of psychology and evolutionary biology. Here's what he had to say:

What do neurologists, cattle and McDonald's have in common? They all owe a great deal to one woman, a renowned animal scientist born with autism, Temple Grandin. Though she didn't utter a word until close to her fourth birthday, substituting screams for phonemes, she splashed onto the stage of public awareness in 1995, thanks to the vivid, sensitive writing of the famed neurologist Oliver Sacks. Little was known about autism at the time except that people so afflicted appeared socially isolated, emotionally fragile and difficult to engage. But as with many psychological disorders, autism is a spectrum, and Temple, 62, is on one edge. Living on this edge has allowed her to be an extraordinary source of inspiration for autistic children, their parents -- and all people. She is also a source of hope for another mammal: the cow. Using her unique window into the minds of animals, she has developed corrals for cattle that improve their quality of life by reducing stress. And though the fast-food industry continues to use cattle in its patties, it has come to appreciate the ethics and compassion of a Grandin burger.

Time is also offering a photo essay entitled "The Perspectives of Temple Grandin." To access it, click here.