h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dr Grandin (http://www.grandin.com/) is a well-known example of the Big Professor who invented a field of study that didn't exist before. She credits her autism as the source of her ability to understand how livestock animals think and behave, which in turn allows her to design facilities that minimize the animals' distress.

Here is a link to an interview with her that aired last year: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4278538

Thanks. I didn't find any way to fit her into the entry.
She was more aloof than a "Little Professor" and to this day has serious issues with physical contact with others. She built her own 'hug' machine.

I think she talked about the 'hug' machine in the NPR interview. She mentioned that the machine helped calm her down and made her realise that livestock would experience the same calming effect in a shute that 'hugged' them. Very interesting stuff.

An excellent entry, by the way.

Garcias