Meet the 10-year-old P.E.I. science whiz who's sharing his passion with others

For 10-year-old Owen Harris of Cornwall, P.E.I., there are few things that compare to the thrill he gets when he talks about science. 

This summer, Owen approached the Cornwall Public Library to ask about starting a science club. Staff told him they would start one if they found someone to run it — and offered him the job.

Just seeing everyone smile when I said something interesting or just watching everyone have so much fun.— Owen Harris

"I was overly thrilled because I've loved science for a long time," Owen said. 

'The mystery behind it'

Throughout August, Owen's lessons covered topics like astronomy, biology, chemistry and physics and he said he developed all of his own lesson plans and experiments.

He's been passionate about science for as long as he can remember and was excited to have the opportunity to share that with others, he said.

"The mystery behind it, the space, just that lingering feeling that makes you feel like there's something else out there that makes you one of the smallest things," Owen said. 

 "If I won the lottery I would put a science lab on the side of my house for me, I love science," he added.

'It really was his plans'

Owen's mother, Melissa Harris, helped him during the classes.

The family moved to the Island a year-and-a-half ago from Woodstock, New Brunswick, and his mother said the move was hard on Owen but the club has been a great way for him to meet new friends who share his love of science.

"When this opportunity came up he got to kind of bring that back to the forefront and really dig in with his heels and get his hands dirty, literally," Harris said.

"He has really put all the work in, he really has put his head down and did all the research, got all the books he needed so it really was his plans."

'He was lit up from inside'

Pam Wheatley, the branch technician at Cornwall Public Library, said Owen is one of the youngest people to run their own club at the Cornwall branch and she could see the passion Owen has for science right away. 

"One of the things we like to do here in Cornwall is to find the people that have some sort of hobby or some sort of interest that lights them up from inside," Wheatley said. 

"He was lit up from inside."

Wheatley said she hopes the club encourages other kids to start up clubs of their own.

"You can see how engaged they are and I'm hoping they're inspired as well by someone his age and then thinking, 'I can do something like that if he could do that I could do that,'" Wheatley said.

Hopes to return next summer

Owen said preparing for the club didn't feel like work at all and was worth it when he saw the reactions from the kids who joined. 

"Just seeing everyone smile when I said something interesting or just watching everyone have so much fun about something I love and so engaged," Owen said. "I hope they walk away with a smile."

Owen said a library in Sussex, N.B., found out about his club and asked him to come run a similar one there.

He said for now, he's going to focus on the upcoming school year. He hopes to start the club up again next summer in as many communities as he can.

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