VIRAL: SIU Student turns laser addiction into research

A young man's hobby of building home-made lasers to set stuff on fire has brought him to a steady career path.

SIU student Drake Anthony is the creator of a Youtube Channel boasting more than 75 million views.

In some videos, he sets various items on fire with lasers he built out of spare parts.

As of late, he's part of a research team at SIU studying how laser technology can improve MRI and Cancer research.

"It may spark maybe a new hobby for them or even a new career," Anthony said. "I like to show that science is not maybe the boring topic you might learn in some of your school classes, it's actually a lot more deep and a lot more cool than that."

Anthony says he plans to pursue his doctorate after he graduates from SIU in 2016.