Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University, and designer of livestock handling facilities, will be the keynote speaker of Northampton Community College’s Annual Humanities Program.

Her talk, “Animals and Autism,” will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 16 at the Bethlehem Campus’s Arthur L. Spartan Center, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem Township.

Grandin is an expert in the field of humane livestock handling and has designed livestock facilities all over the world. In North America, almost half of the cattle are handled in a center track restrainer system that she designed for meat plants.

Grandin attributes her insights into animal behavior to the way that she thinks, in pictures, and she has used this ability to contribute to improving the welfare of animals.

The interrelationship between animals and humans is currently the focus of the Annual Humanities Program at NCC. Grandin’s lecture will be the culminating event in a yearlong exploration of the theme “Humanities Best Friend: Dogs and the Human Saga,” led by Dr. Charles Rinehimer, professor of biology at NCC.

Grandin obtained her B.A. at Franklin Pierce College and her M.S. in animal science at Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois.

She has written more than 400 articles in both scientific journals and livestock periodicals on animal handling, welfare and facility design.

She is the author of several books that have landed on The New York Times best-seller list.

Her latest book, “Calling All Minds,” was a New York Times best-seller for middle school students.

Grandin’s life story has also been made into the HBO movie, “Temple Grandin,” starring Claire Danes, which won seven Emmy awards and a Golden Globe. She has been featured in numerous magazines. In 2010, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people.

Interviews with Grandin have been broadcast on National Public Radio and she has a 2010 TED Talk titled “The World Needs ALL Kinds of Minds.”

Admission to the program is free, but reservations are required. Tickets can be reserved at https://whennow.com/event/temple-grandin-lecture.