A 24-year-old biochemist won the Miss Virginia pageant by performing a science experiment onstage as her talent

• Biochemist Camille Schrier won the Miss Virginia pageant on Saturday by performing a chemistry demonstration during the talent portion of the competition.
• She wore a lab coat and heels to demonstrate 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 Saturday with an explosive display of talent.

The 24-year-old biochemist wore a lab coat and heels to demonstrate the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, known as the "elephant toothpaste reaction" due to the streams of foam that shoot out of graduated cylinders as a result of the catalyzed reaction.

Most 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.

"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 said. "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 a dual degree in biochemistry and systems biology, tweeted their congratulations.

Virginia Commonwealth University, where Schrier is currently earning her doctor of pharmacy degree, also celebrated her win on Twitter.

Schrier plans to utilize 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.

• Read more:
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• The new Miss America is glad she didn't need to wear a swimsuit to win the competition: 'I'm more than that'
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