what might be some reasons that english puritans and french huguenots and jansenists were so prominent in the advancement of 17th century science

Because different from Catholicism which didn't use to see the science as important, the Protestants (which includes Puritans, Huguenots, and Jansenists) encouraged the research, because according to them, through the science we would better understand God and His presence on Earth.

Explanation:

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Catholicism was losing terrain for the Protestantism started by Martin Luther in 1517. Because of that, the Pope began to reinforce the Church's power and avoid any interference from outside. This means that everything that could be considered dangerous for the Church preeminence, should be contained and suppressed. The science, one way or another, was going against some of Church's dogmas, and the Pope just prohibited. In several cases, the punishment was severe as what happened with Galileo. Different from the Protestants who saw science as a justification for God's power. To them, science was not a threat.