Building on the performance studies and research begun under his predecessor, Dr. Paul Lorentz, Kurtz expanded the school's collections and published key works in the study of botany and paleobotany in Argentina.

He was an active member of the National Academy of Sciences of Córdoba, initiating the exchange of research and material with similar institutions from around the world.

His tenure at the Department of Botany influenced numerous younger Argentine naturalists, notably Eduardo Ladislao Holmberg and Juan Domíguez.

His private herbarium and library were acquired by the National University of Córdoba and were incorporated into the Museum of Botany.

The Kurtz nomenclature is used for the citation of the numerous species he classified in his career.