Why Smart Humans Do Stupid Things

Humans, I’ve noticed, make a very big deal out of a quality you call intelligence. You not only take pride in it as a species, you also devise all manner of tests in an effort to sort and rank and categorize people by intelligence.

Your obsession with sorting and ranking may reflect the dominance hierarchy that was part of your evolutionary heritage as social primates. But that instinctive tendency may be causing you to misunderstand your own mental capacities.

Look at how confused you were during the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant a couple of years ago. The people who designed the plant probably had high scores on tests of IQ and math skills. And then they put the backup power generator in a basement where it was going to be useless in a flood—just when they would need it most. And all the humans shook their heads and asked, how can smart people be so stupid?

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I Like The Way I Think

Temple Grandin explains why getting young people with Autism into the workforce is vital.

 

Hope For Math-Challenged Scientists?

Shock and outrage were bound to follow when the famous biologist-writer E.O. Wilson proclaimed that many scientists are at best "semiliterate" in math. When this heresy appeared in an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal, Slate responded with the bluntly headlined, Don't Listen to E.O. Wilson and the Huffington Post with Why E.O. Wilson is Wrong.

Wilson's work on ant colonies revolutionized the scientific understanding of cooperative behavior. Two of his books have won Pulitzers. He's well repsected, but in some circles, math is revered. A favorite buzzword is STEM – for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math combined in an indivisible unit. Pulling them apart, according to today's thinking, is like trying to tear the quarks out of protons.

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Temple Grandin Earns Top Honor!

Temple Grandin, the Colorado State University professor world-renowned for using insights gained from autism to design humane livestock-handling systems, will be honored by the National 4-H Council with its Distinguished Alumni Medallion during a gala event in New York on Thursday.

The annual National 4-H Council Legacy Awards Gala is the organization's premier fund-raising event, honoring corporations and individuals who have made lasting contributions in support of millions of 4-H youth.

Learn more about Temple's honor here!

 

A Conversation With Temple Grandin

Dr. Temple Grandin sat down with the SEEN the SouthEast Education Network to discuss autistic students and the challenges for educators as they attempt to meet the needs of the growing autistic population. Temple Grandin offers her experience and insight in this highly informational interview.

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Children With Autism "Must Learn To Work"

Animal behaviour expert Dr Temple Grandin, an advocate for those with autism, said she was seeing “too many kids that are fully verbal that aren’t learning how to work”. Children with autism must be taught how to work, one of the world’s best-known scholars with autism said in Dublin yesterday.

Dr Temple Grandin, an animal behaviour expert who has designed humane handling systems for half the cattle-processing facilities in the US and Canada, was a guest speaker at the All-Ireland State Veterinarians’ Scientific Conference. Acknowledging that autism was a wide spectrum from Steve Jobs to Einstein to those who would remain non-verbal, she said for those who were able, “there’s a discipline of work I think these kids need to learn”.

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Exploring Temple Grandin's Brain

Animal scientist Temple Grandin has an extraordinary mind. Probably the world’s most famous person with autism, she designed widely used livestock handling systems to reduce animal suffering. She is not just autistic but an autistic savant, meaning that she has unusual cognitive abilities, such as a photographic memory and excellent spatial skills. She “thinks in pictures,” she says, helping her understand what animals perceive.

Every brain is different, especially where autism is concerned, and Cooperrider’s study compares Grandin’s brain with only three controls, not enough to draw broad conclusions. But some of the patterns Cooperrider and his colleagues discovered back up other studies, and suggest new regions to explore.

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Temple Grandin Explains the Importance of Management

As a renowned animal care expert, Dr. Temple Grandin talks about the importance of employees and management to ensure quality animal handling.

 

Temple Grandin Brings Good Luck!

Temple Grandin isn’t Irish, but the famous Colorado State University professor will put on the green – and gold – to fill the role of grand marshal for the popular Lucky Joe's St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Fort Collins next month.

Grandin travels the world to discuss her pioneering work in farm-animal welfare and her experience overcoming personal struggles with autism. She is well-versed in public speaking, book-signing, media interviews, and accepting all manner of honors and accolades. She’s often stopped at airports and restaurants when recognized as the world’s most famous autistic person, and the subject of a highly acclaimed Hollywood movie.

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