Camille Schrier Wins Miss America After Doing Science Experiment For Talent

"We need to show that Miss America can be a scientist and that a scientist can be Miss America," said Schrier, who's studying for a doctor of pharmacy degree.
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Her chemistry with the audience was palpable.

Miss Virginia Camille Schrier won Miss America on Thursday after captivating viewers with the first-ever science experiment in the talent portion of the competition, NPR reported.

Schrier, a 24-year-old scientist earning her doctor of pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University, announced during NBC’s broadcast of the pageant that she would demonstrate the “catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.”

So, she poured potassium iodide into three flasks containing hydrogen peroxide, food coloring and dish soap, prompting an eruption of colorful foams, Time noted.

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As the pageant tries to rebrand itself, it axed the traditional swimsuit and evening gown portions for the second year in a row, and now calls the competition Miss America 2.0.

But, while wearing a lab coat, Schrier made a more vital impression.

“I’ve had people that don’t think that what I do is necessarily a talent,” Schrier said earlier in the competition at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, per The Washington Post. “But you know what? Miss America is someone that needs to educate, be able to communicate with everyone, and that’s what I do as a woman of science. And we need to show that Miss America can be a scientist and that a scientist can be Miss America.”

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