Bio:

Dr. Cañas-Carrell has been a faculty member in the Department of Environmental Toxicology since 2006.  She received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2012. Dr. Cañas-Carrell received her B.S. in Zoology in 2001 and Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology in 2005 from Texas Tech University. She worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Western Ecology Division in Corvallis, Oregon prior to joining the TTU faculty.  Her research interests are focused on emerging contaminants and include determining the fate of chemicals in the environment as well as developing analytical methods to characterize potential exposure. She is particularly interested in determining the fate and effects of manufactured nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, in terrestrial and aquatic systems.  Her research in the area of nanotoxicology was recently featured on the cover of Environmental Science: Impacts & Processes (formerly Journal of Environmental Monitoring).

Dr. Cañas-Carrell is also heavily involved in STEM Education. She is an Associate Director of the Texas Tech University STEM Center for Outreach, Research, and Education. She is the Director of the Plains Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program (funded by the National Institutes of Health) which supports underrepresented minority community college students that are interested in science.  The Program, recently funded for an additional 5 years, helps students to succeed in college and transfer to a four-year university.  In 2009 and 2013, Dr. Cañas-Carrell received the President’s Excellence in Diversity & Equity Award for her efforts to promote and support diversity at TTU.

Recent Publications:

1.    Li S, U Turaga, S Das, B Shrestha,TA Anderson, MJ Green, SS Ramkumar, and JE Cañas-Carrell. 2013. Mobility of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil in the presence of carbon nanotubes. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 96: 168-174.

 2.    Shrestha, B, V Acosta-Martinez, SB Cox, S Li and JE Cañas-Carrell. An evaluation of the impact of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on soil microbial community structure and functioning.  2013. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 261: 188-197.

 3.    Li, S, TA Anderson, JD Maul, B Shrestha, MJ Green, S Das and JE Cañas-Carrell. 2013. Comparative studies of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and octadecyl (C18) as adsorbents in passive sampling devices for biomimetic uptake of PAHs from soils. Science of the Total Environment, 461-462: 560-567.

 4.    Li, S, TA Anderson, MJ Green, JD Maul, and JE Cañas-Carrell. 2013. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) sorption behavior unaffected by the presence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in a natural soil system. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (formerly Journal of Environmental Monitoring), 15:1130-1136 (feature article on the front cover).

 5.    Li, S, F Irin, FO Atore, MJ Green, and JE Cañas-Carrell. 2013. Determination of carbon nanotube bioaccumulation in earthworms measured by a microwave-based detection technique. Science of the Total Environment, 445-446: 9-13 (featured by Environment Progress).

 6.   Irin, F, B Shrestha, JE Cañas, M Saed and MJ Green. 2012. Detection of carbon nanotubes in plant roots through microwave-induced heating. Carbon 50:4441-4449.

 7.    Cañas JE, B Q, S Li, JD Maul, SB Cox, S Das, MJ Green. 2011. Acute and reproductive toxicity of nano-sized metal oxides (ZnO and TiO2) to earthworms (Eisenia fetida).  Journal of Environmental Monitoring 13(12):3351-3357.

 8.    Karnjanapiboonwong A, WA Jackson, AN Morse, JD Mual, JE Cañas and TA Anderson. 2011. Uptake of 17α-Ethynylestradiol and Triclosan in Pinto Bean, Phaseolus vulgaris. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 74:1336-1342.

 9.    Nations, SL, M Wages, JE Cañas, J Maul, C Theodorakis, and GP Cobb. 2011. Acute effects of Fe2O3, TiO2, ZnO and CuO nanomaterials on Xenopus laevis. Chemosphere 83: 1053-1061.

 10. Nations, SL, M Wages, MK Long, JE Cañas, J Maul, C Theodorakis, and GP Cobb. 2011. Effects of ZnO nanomaterials on Xenopus laevis on growth and development. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 74: 203-210.