Bio
Kelly McKamey joined ORNL in 2024 as a Chemical Laboratory Technician in the Radioactive Materials Analytical Lab (RMAL). In her role, she is instrumental in processing environmental samples and ensuring precise analyses. Her work covers a diverse range of tests, including measurements for inorganic carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), Hexane Extractable Method (HEM), and E. coli. In addition, Kelly supports low‐level radiochemistry analyses, performing measurements for alpha, strontium, gross alpha/beta (GAB), and tritium using advanced instrumentation such as gamma and alpha spectroscopy, gas flow proportional counting, and liquid scintillation counting.
Kelly earned her B.A. in Biology from Carson-Newman University in 2000. Before joining ORNL, she developed a broad range of practical skills in the field. She spent 12 years in veterinary medicine, which honed her analytical skills and attention to detail, before transitioning to a laboratory setting at Galbraith Laboratories. There, she worked for five years as an ICP-OES analyst and gained additional expertise in graphite furnace atomic absorption and wet chemistry methods following compendial, USP, ASTM, and FCC protocols. Her subsequent position at Teledyne Brown Engineering further expanded her capabilities as a radiochemist, where she worked on both environmental and active samples. Her responsibilities included standardized analyses as well as specialized measurements such as environmental alpha, strontium, tritium, iodine, and pyrosulfate fusion GAB analyses. She also performed active sample assessments for power plants involving measurements of strontium, cesium, cerium, sulfur, and other isotopes using methods like H₃/C₁₄ by Harvey Oxidizer gamma preparation, with matrices ranging from water and milk to soil, vegetation, and animal tissues.
Kelly’s diverse background and technical expertise greatly enhance the capabilities of the RMAL team at ORNL. Her meticulous approach to both chemical and radiochemical analyses plays a key role in assuring quality environmental monitoring and safety.
Awards
2025 | Physical Sciences Directorate (PSD) Technician Award | Core Value for Teamwork
Education
2000 | B.A. Biology | Carson-Newman University