About me
I'm Jenna Kurtzweil, a versatile writer and meticulous editor who can swing from high-impact copy to feature storytelling in a snap.
Some of my favorite projects involve sharing complex science with the public. I have covered topics from agriculture and cancer research to energy and engineering.
My portfolio includes news releases, features, profiles, study stories, web and social media copy, scripts, newsletters, speeches, and print and digital marketing materials — and I’m always ready for something new.
No matter the genre, subject, or style, the result is the same: polished content to read and remember.
Education and experience
Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, I attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I wrote my way to a bachelor's degree in English and mumbled my way to a minor in German (which an aggressive digital owl has been helping me dust off). I also earned a Certificate in Environmental Writing, during which I wrote, edited, researched, and traveled cross-country for the inaugural three issues of Q Magazine.
Researching stories about the environment soon transitioned into writing about environmental research. In the fall of 2019, I began a full-time communications role at the university's Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. In 2021, I began my current position at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, where I write news and feature stories, supervise social media, and manage relations for a world-renowned interdisciplinary research engine.
In 2023, I completed a master's in library and information science from UIUC. Always allergic to too much free time, I keep my English degree sharp by writing for local publications and juggling freelance editing and proofreading positions. Writing is also a creative outlet of mine: I have published two children's books with Flowerpot Press, and many other snippets and scraps that, try as they might, may never make it out of the notes app on my iPhone.
I am also a member of the National Association of Science Writers and an avid reader of Nautilus and The Open Notebook.