On Friday, Pitt's School of Public Health unveiled a new exhibit dedicated to the life and work of Dr. Jonas Salk. Salk and his team developed the first vaccine against polio more than 70 years ago in Pittsburgh. Jonas Salk's family gifted the items to the University of Pittsburgh, returning them from storage in California to the city where the vaccine was developed more than 70 years ago."His devotion to humanity shown through his entire life," said Dr. Peter Salk, the eldest son of Jonas Salk.Peter Salk is a professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at Pitt Public Health and the president of the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation. The exhibit will be freely accessible to the public at Pitt's School of Public Health.The development of the polio vaccine was a pivotal moment in history, one that was life-changing and life-saving for so many people. The free exhibit is housed at Pitt's School of Public Health. It features many of Salk's prestigious awards and the desk where he did most of his work. Guests can also view the iron lung that helped polio patients breathe. "He serves as an inspiration for the future," said Dr. Peter Salk. "We have a lot to do together as a human family to make this world one we all want to live in."The university says its library system is also in the process of preserving Salk's research papers spanning from when he joined Pitt in 1947 through his death in 1995. The documents include consent forms and vaccination records documenting the participation of thousands of children in the Pittsburgh Schools Trial to test the experimental polio vaccine.Thousands of Pittsburgh-area children and their parents helped Salk and his team refine their vaccine ingredients. Data from that trial formed the basis for the clinical trial administered to millions of children around the world. "It wasn't just about the science; the whole community pulled together," said Dr. Donald Burke, a distinguished university professor of health sciences and policy and epidemiology. "Everybody was really petrified; it was a parent's worst nightmare," said Burke. "It was solved by Jonas Salk, the team here at Pitt and the community of Pittsburgh." Salk and the Salk Legacy Foundation ask that those interested in reaching out share their story at JonasSalkLegacy@pitt.edu.