Five Questions With…Zack Savitsky
“Five Questions With…” is a series of profiles of CJC graduates and the career paths they chose.
Zack Savitsky, B.S. Public Relations/Physics/Spanish 2021
1. Tell us about your current job.
I am a freelance science journalist. I report stories regularly for outlets such as Science and Scientific American, primarily about advances in physics and astronomy. My daily schedule involves a juggling act of skimming academic journals for exciting research I don’t understand, asking my dumbest questions to the world’s leading experts, and jamming on my keyboard in an attempt to turn their answers into an interesting story.
2. Why did you choose to come to the UF College of Journalism and Communications?
I was largely drawn to UF by the Lombardi Scholars Program, which funded my travel addiction as well as my studies. Though journalism wasn’t on my radar at the time, I entered UF with a deep interest in science communication, and the CJC’s STEM Translational Communication Center offered lots of resources for exploring the field.
3. Was there a defining moment, personally or professionally, at CJC that set you on your current path ?
One pivotal point in my time at CJC was taking Czerne Reid’s special topics course on Science Journalism. That class introduced me to the thrill of reporting on science — and to many people who are now my mentors and colleagues (including the directors of the graduate program I went on to attend).
4. If you had to do your academic experience or career over again, what, if anything would you do differently?
I would urge my past self to put less pressure on taking courses and opportunities that aligned with my vision of a career trajectory. Some of my most fruitful endeavors came out of engagements I considered “professionally irrelevant” at the time. If I could go back, I would be sure to treat college more as an excuse to study whatever I found interesting than as a trailhead for marching toward success.
5. What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing a career similar to yours?
I really love my job. If you think science communication may be your jam, dip your finger in the jar. Make a TikTok about your favorite molecule; focus your reporting stories on UF researchers; send cold emails to people whose work you admire; check out some of these online resources: “The Craft of Science Writing,” Science Journalism Master Classes, and Getting Started in Science Journalism. And if you’re still not sure what you want to do after graduation, try to identify the overlap between the ideas that inspire you and the work that you enjoy doing — it may just lead you to a dream job you didn’t know existed.
Savitsky recently received a National Science Communication Award. Click here to read a 2020 profile while he was a student at CJC.
Posted: November 5, 2024
Category: Alumni Profiles, College News, Five Questions With...
Tagged as: Science Journalism, Zack Savitsky
