“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.”  – Jonas Salk

I first became aware of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California when I saw this amazing image by Joel Tjintjelaar, he is one of the best long exposure photographers out there. I may not do long exposure photography but he inspired me to find my way here and create my own images of this phenomenal space.
Jonas Salk was the founder of the institute and developer of the polio vaccine. Today it continues to be a center for research, primarily focusing on molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience and plant biology where scientists work to find treatments for diseases such as cancer, AIDS, cardiovascular disease and birth defects.
This is particularly interesting to me since my college degree is in Medical Technology, I may not have done research but I spent over 7 years working in hospital labs in the Molecular Pathology, Microbiology and Virology departments testing patients for many of the diseases the very researchers and scientists here spend their time trying to find treatments for. There are days I really miss thinking about all that scientific stuff; however, I think my days in that field are long gone. But what a perfect, inspirational space for these scientists to spend their days.
Louis Kahn’s design is symmetrical perfection, implying scientific precision, with an empty courtyard symbolizing an open environment for creation. Having spent a bit of time wandering around here I can absolutely say there is a certain inspirational, hopeful feeling you experience in this space.
Jonas Salk’s wise words engraved at the courtyard’s entrance are a perfect reminder that anyone of us can dare to make our dreams a reality…

Per my usual indecisiveness you can see most of these images in color as well in this Flickr set…I would love to hear which you prefer!