Camille Schrier, a biochemist, won the Miss Virginia pageant on June 22 after performing a chemistry experiment during the talent portion of the competition.
She demonstrated the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, culminating in a colorful explosion of foam.
An advocate for women in STEM, Schrier is pursuing a doctor of pharmacy degree at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Schrier will go on to compete in the Miss America pageant in September.
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Camille Schrier won the Miss Virginia pageant on June 22 with an explosive display of talent.
The 24-year-old biochemist demonstrated the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, known as the "elephant toothpaste" reaction because of the streams of foam that shoot out of the graduated cylinders as a result of the catalyzed reaction. She replaced her pageant dress with a lab coat and safety goggles, though she still kept her high heels.
Many contestants sing, dance, or play an instrument for the talent portion of pageants. Schrier told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that she knew her unconventional talent was a risk but was thrilled that it paid off.
Schrier was crowned Miss Virginia. John Herzog/Miss Virginia
"We are typically an organization that sees people that are fabulous dancers and really talented singers use that as their talent, and so for me to come out there and take a risk and do a science demonstration was very different," she told the newspaper. "As someone who is breaking the boundaries and breaking stereotypes for what talent looks like at Miss America, I wanted to be a little out of the box, and it really worked out."
Read more: THEN AND NOW: How the Miss America pageant has changed over the years
Virginia Tech, where Schrier earned dual degrees in biochemistry and systems biology, tweeted its congratulations.
Virginia Commonwealth University, where Schrier is earning her doctor of pharmacy degree, also celebrated her win on Twitter.
Schrier plans to use her platform as Miss Virginia to advocate for women in STEM and promote the work of Mind Your Meds, a drug-safety and abuse-prevention program. She will go on to compete in the Miss America pageant in September.
Lubbles08 on July 2nd, 2019 at 17:57 UTC »
Susan and I will continue on until the women of Pawnee are judged not by the flatness of their tummies, but by the contents of their brains.
DNA_ligase on July 2nd, 2019 at 15:15 UTC »
There are a lot of highly educated contestants in these pageants now: law students, medical researchers, journalists, medical students, etc.
BrockhamptonAlex on July 2nd, 2019 at 14:55 UTC »
The organisers are primarily uplifted they can mention this as an excuse any time someone says the pagenets are sexist.