Jonas Salk Facts, Science Game

Who was Jonas Salk? This game will help children learn key facts about the American virologist and medical researcher, Jonas Salk. Widely known for the successful invention of a safe polio vaccine, Salk’s invention will go on to prevent a terrible disease that left many children paralyzed for the rest of their lives. Play this game to learn more about Jonas Salk.

Jonas Salk Facts
You probably already know a bit about Jonas Salk, but do you know all of his facts? His work at the Institute for Biological Studies led to the creation of the first polio vaccine, which proved to be a great success. He even received the Nobel Prize for his work! Read on to discover more about this remarkable American physician. This biography will give you a brief background on Jonas Salk.
Jonas Salk was an American physician
Jonas Salk was an American physician who developed a vaccine for poliomyelitis. He worked with Thomas Francis, an immunologist and virologist, and later became a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1957, he became the Commonwealth Professor of Experimental Medicine and opened the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California. His research focused on the autoimmunization reaction, which is the body's reaction to foreign materials. By the time Salk died of heart failure in June 1995, polio was virtually eliminated from the United States.
Salk grew up in East Harlem, New York. His parents were Jewish immigrants, and they encouraged him to study hard. His parents encouraged him to study, and he became the first member of his family to go to college. He was enrolled in Townsend Harris High School, which taught a four-year curriculum in three years. After graduating, he was accepted to City College of New York, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree.
He developed the first safe and effective vaccine for polio
The first polio vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Salk had been researching the virus since the late 1940s. In 1951, he identified three different polio viruses. The new vaccine had to target these three types to be effective. Salk was the only scientist to find all three. He also made a vaccine for human use.
Born in New York City, Jonas Salk completed his education at City College, and later earned a medical degree at New York University. He interned at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, where he was inspired to pursue a career in science. After graduating from medical school, he began research on influenza viruses. Francis also taught Salk about the methodology for developing vaccines.
He worked at the Institute for Biological Studies
A doctor with a disproportionate sense of fellow feeling, Jonas Salk devoted his entire career to the research that would ultimately save lives. He knew that even the most gifted doctors cannot save every child from death. But he remained steadfast in his research, and his work at the Institute for Biological Studies was instrumental in the fight against polio. And while he was largely successful, he did make mistakes along the way.
While working at the Institute for Biological Studies, he finagled bureaucratic decisions and commandeered the hospital's facilities. His lab was three floors and six thousand square feet, and his stated intention was to research influenza, measles, and the common cold. He was recruited to the institute by Harry Weaver, the director of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.
He earned the Nobel Prize for his work
In 1954, the United States awarded the Nobel Prize to Jonas Salk for developing a vaccine for paralytic poliomyelitis. Salk had been a professor of bacteriology at the University of Pittsburgh, and was the head of the Virus Research Laboratory. In this position, he began researching the virus that causes polio. Polio is a highly contagious disease that can cause general symptoms and permanent paralysis. At the mid-20th century, hundreds of thousands of children were infected with polio every year. In this capacity, he collaborated with other scientists, and corroborated studies that identified three strains of the virus.
However, despite this fame, Salk declined to accept the offers of many people. Amarillo, Texas, gave Salk a new car. President Eisenhower decorated him with a medal. Oslo, Norway, commissioned a portrait of the Nobel Laureate. In addition to his Nobel Prize, the University of Pennsylvania established a $25,000-a-year professorship in preventive medicine, and Salk was the first to occupy it.