Autism and Innovation

Temple Grandin visits Vanderbilt for the Chancellor’s Lecture Series on Thursday, November 29, 2018. (Photo by Claire Barnett)

Peabody College senior Claire Barnett, left, poses with autism advocate Temple Grandin before Grandin’s appearance at Vanderbilt in November as part of the Chancellor’s Lecture Series. A senior majoring in human and organizational development, Barnett, who learned a year ago that she is on the autism spectrum, works as an intern at Vanderbilt’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. While at Vanderbilt, Grandin participated in a daylong conference made possible by the Frist Center that explored the future of human–technology partnerships. Barnett, a columnist and photographer for The Vanderbilt Hustler, was a photography intern for the White House in 2017 and a communications intern in the Office of the Vice President last summer.