Miss Virginia 2019 Camille Schrier visits Virginia Tech Science Festival
Expanded and updated edition
This past June, Camille Schrier took her science skills to the big stage. Wearing a lab coat and goggles, she performed an exploding chemistry demonstration as her talent in the Miss Virginia competition in Lynchburg — and she won.
Her victory is no surprise to her professors at Virginia Tech, who remember Schrier, a 2018 graduate with a double major in systems biology and biochemistry. During her year-long reign as Miss Virginia, Schrier plans to raise awareness of drug safety and abuse prevention and promote science, technology, engineering, and math education and careers in schools throughout the state, with a focus on attracting girls to STEM fields.
On Nov. 16, Schrier returned to Blacksburg and recreated the stage demo on stage at the Moss Arts Center as part of the Nutshell Games, sponsored by the Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science. Earlier in the day, Schrier appeared at the Virginia Tech Science Festival, where she delighted scores of attendees by creating a faux cloud using liquid nitrogen and boiling water. She also met a young girl who came to the festival in what was her Halloween costume, an exact replica of Schrier at the Miss Virginia pageant, lab coat and crown atop her head.
Shrier also is planning an appearance on the children’s science show iQ: smartparent, filmed at Pittsburgh’s PBS station WQED — the station that originated Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. “I want to be that role model for them,” said Schrier.
“I wanted to do something that was entertaining and was able to show the talents that I do have." Schrier is enrolled in the doctorate program at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Pharmacy.
For further reading, visit Virginia Tech alumna takes science to pageant stage
Watch Schrier talk about her visit to the 2019 Virginia Tech Science Festival, and the importance of STEM education.