According to femalefirst, his mother Michelle revealed that he taught himself to read at a very young age.  She told KSTP-TV: "He had started reading when he was maybe two, just three. We said, 'Oh, well, that's interesting. You're reading. We didn't teach you to read.'" Tanner is now hoping to give back to the university that has helped him learn so much.

He said: "It's amazing. It's sort of been a crazy ride getting here, but it's just been such a nice experience. "I'm hoping to become a professor at the University of Minnesota in order to also spread this joy and passion for physics with other people."