A Virginia biochemist has been crowned Miss America 2020 after performing a live science experiment on stage in a rebooted competition that tried hard to drag itself into the 21st century. Camille Schrier was awarded a $50,000 scholarship and “the job of Miss America.” Schrier, a 24-year-old doctor of pharmacy student at Virginia Commonwealth University, proudly showed off her science background by wearing a lab coat and carrying out a chemistry demonstration in the talent section of the show. The competition has been dubbed “Miss America 2.0” and it saw multiple changes since it ditched the swimsuit round last year. Organizers no longer call it a “pageant,” and contestants were grouped by specialties instead of regions, including STEM, the business world, the arts and media, and educators and advocates. Schrier said on stage: “We’ve taken the focus away from our bodies and been able to show exactly what women can offer outside of our appearance.”
