HENRIETTA, N.Y. — RIT is opening a new $2 million laboratory  to help students and scientists learn about new ways to keep your family safe. 

The Bal Dixit Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Fire Protection is part of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability.

An RIT alumnus, whose company makes heat-resistant tech, made the donation to create the lab.

That company's CEO says he hopes it will be a hub of innovation.

"The idea is that students at RIT and other disciplines and in the material science disciplines will invent things, innovate new codings or textiles or fibers or potentially nano-participles and they'll bring them into this lab to fire test them," said Jerry Joliet, Newtex CEO. "Test them for insulation, for smoke generation, all in the hopes of making them safer and more protective."

Most of the lab is already up and running and researchers will begin testing materials within the next few weeks.