Natural Sciences Faculty

At Saint Paul College, Penny Starkey is the Department Chair for Math and Science. She currently teaches Principles of Chemistry 1 and 2, General Physics 1 and 2, and Natural Disasters. She originally was hired at Saint Paul College as a part-time instructor in 2002, and became a full-time instructor in Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2004. Penny has also taught Introductory Physics at Saint Paul College and the College of St. Catherine. She earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, after earning a BA in Physics at the University of St. Thomas. Prior to coming to Saint Paul College, she worked for 5 years in industry, most recently in the biomedical device field. Penny enjoys helping students understand and appreciate chemistry, while also helping them move towards their career goals.

Zubah Gayflor Kpanaku teaches Chemistry and Natural Sciences courses at Saint Paul College. Originally hired as a part-time instructor in 2004, he is now a full-time instructor in the Chemistry Department. Zubah is a Naturalized American Citizen, originally from Liberia. He received his first M.S. degree in Chemical Education as a 1989 Fulbright Scholar at Purdue University in 1993, and a second M.S. degree in Analytical Chemistry at Ohio University in 1999. His undergraduate degree, earned in 1986 at Cuttington University College in Liberia, was in Chemistry with a minor in Math and Physics.

Between 1987 and present, Zubah has taught many chemistry courses in Liberia and Minnesota including Introductory Chemistry, Principles of Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry I and II. Specifically in Minnesota, he has taught chemistry at several community and four-year colleges. Zubah has also been employed as a Research Assistant in Clinical Chemistry at Purdue University. He worked in industry as a Quality Assurance Chemist in Analytical Services at South Dakota State University where he conducted quality assurance and regulatory analyses on vitamins and minerals in animal feeds, premixes, drug remedies and forages, and also as a Quality Assurance Manager with Analytical Products Group, Inc.

Zubah considers himself a very humble and determined man who loves teaching using innovative instructional technologies in the classroom and scientific laboratories. He aspires to one day earn a doctorate degree in curriculum development and instructional planning.

Joanna Cregan currently teaches General Biology: The Living Cell (web-enhanced), Environmental Science (online), and Contemporary Issues in Science at Saint Paul College. She was originally hired part-time in the fall of 2004, became a full-time instructor in 2005, and is thrilled to be a part of the fast-growing biology department at Saint Paul College. Joanna received her B.S. in Environmental Biology at Beloit College in WI, after which she attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota. At the U of MN she obtained an M.S. in Plant Biological Sciences while developing a passion for Biology education. Joanna enjoys the challenges and rewards of introducing students to Biology and Science, and of helping them succeed in this challenging but fascinating subject.

Maggie Zimmerman joined the Natural Sciences Department at Saint Paul College in the fall of 2008, and teaches Physical Geology, Earth Science, Natural Disasters, and Introduction to Oceanography. Maggie received her bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas in Geology and Environmental Studies in 2006, and completed her master's degree in Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2008. Over the years, Maggie's research has focused on many different aspects of environmental change caused by human activity, including investigating the past climates in southern South America, changing landscapes in Cape Cod, MA, and examining the scientific consensus on global climate change. Second only to her love of Earth Sciences is Maggie's enthusiasm for sharing her knowledge with students and opening their eyes to the amazing Earth processes that go on around them every day.