Honoring the memory of Jonas Salk, polio vaccine inventor, on his 106th birthday anniversary, during the COVID-19 pandemic

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LA JOLLA—As people across the world anxiously await the promise of an effective vaccine to end the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 220,000 Americans and more than 1.1 million globally, it is important to remember a time when the world faced similar challenges and, through scientific research, found answers that changed the course of history. On October 28, the Salk Institute honors the accomplishments of our founder, Jonas Salk, on his 106th birthday.

In 1955, Salk’s polio vaccine brought worldwide relief when it was declared a success and helped end the annual scourge of polio pandemics. Salk’s vaccine would transform a relatively unknown physician-scientist into a scientific hero, and he became celebrated around the world. His work changed the course of history, helping end the fear caused by the devastating annual outbreaks of polio and giving the world hope that science could be a bulwark against infectious diseases. Now, more than ever, it is important to remember that science will find answers to end the coronavirus pandemic.

Not one to rest on his laurels, in 1960—with funding from the March of Dimes and land from the city of San Diego—Jonas founded the Salk Institute so scientists could continue to conduct the kind of basic research that tackles the world’s most pressing problems. He collaborated with architect Louis Kahn to create a building that would be a “monument to science” and a place “worthy of a visit by Picasso.” Today, the Salk Institute is considered one of the greatest examples of modernist architecture in the world and is visited annually by tens of thousands of architecture fans and those with a passion for scientific discovery.

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