24-year-old biochemist Camille Schrier won the new Miss Virginia title recently, after showcasing her talents onstage in the form of a science experiment.
Camille Schrier stepped out in lab coat and goggles to surprise the judges with a demonstration of the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.
After she carefully mixed a solution of chemicals into beakers, Schrier’s experiment concluded with an explosion of blue and orange foam, known as the “Elephant Toothpaste” reaction.
Ms. Schrier said it was the recent overhaul to the competition, that now places a higher value on true talents and social impact over appearance, which encouraged her to enter the pageant circuit again.
Instead of the patronizing swimsuit competition, competitors in Miss America 2.0 will spend more time highlighting their achievements and goals. Dress codes have moved on from the traditional evening gowns, with candidates allowed to select clothing that expresses who they are.
Miss America currently aims to be more inclusive to women instead of fitting into predefined stereotypes.
Ms. Schrier will represent Virginia in the nationwide competition and be a strong candidate for the first ‘Miss America 2.0.’ She has dual Bachelor of Science degrees from Virginia Tech in Biochemistry and Systems Biology. She’s currently studying a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree at Virginia Commonwealth University.
She decided to do the science experiment as her talent because she wants to get other people excited about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.
This kind of encouragement and awareness for girls to get into science and engineering is significant as the field is still dominated by men. Eighty-one percent of the degrees earned in engineering in the USA currently go to males, despite boys and girls having no significant difference in their abilities in mathematics and science.
Watch the video of Ms. Schrier’s experiment in action:
Watch #VCUPharmacy student Camille Schrier wow the judges for Miss Virginia with her talent performance — the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide!
— VCU School of Pharmacy (@VCUPharmacy) June 26, 2019
PS: she won. Next pageant: #MissAmerica #FuturePharmacist pic.twitter.com/MzqgZBUygl
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