By Tanzania Kennedy
Trinity Times Correspondent
Blue and purple gradient flyers posted in one of the campus elevators at Trinity Washington University invited students to a fun, nostalgic, and scientific experiment – attracting a room full of laughter with students mixing colors and glowing liquids.
Ladies F.I.R.S.T. (Fierce in Research, Science, and Technology), a Trinity student STEM organization, hosted a “create your own lava lamp” event March 31, 2026, in the Payden Academic Center, providing students with an opportunity to find a colorful way of making decorative and practical scientific experiments.
The main mission of the club is to provide a space for students to explore STEM disciplines, as well as provide resources for the Trinity community regarding research and career breakthroughs and career opportunities such as internships and workshops.
Events hosted by Ladies F.I.R.S.T. typically consist of interactive, hands-on activities that incorporate chemistry and biology concepts like the lava lamp event, coaster painting, or cookie decorating, said Trinity biology major Lorena Mendoza, president of the student organization. Other events include informational discussions or presentations regarding career development and opportunities.
Combining chemistry with creativity for this event made STEM seem more approachable while building community among students from a variety of majors.
“STEM does seem intimidating, and that’s one of our goals here as well, just trying to make it so that anybody can do it,” said Cynthia De La Paz Charco, a junior chemistry major and vice president of Ladies F.I.R.S.T. “Because generally, anybody can do it, you don’t have to be a STEM major to be able to do fun activities like this.”
During the event, students used water, oil, and food coloring to create their own lava lamps, demonstrating basic chemistry concepts while experimenting with immiscible liquids.
“So the main components are water and oil,” De La Paz Charco said. “Water is more dense than oil, so it sinks to the bottom, which is why they separate. They are referred to as immiscible liquids because they are not able to mix.”
The oil floats on top of the water because it is less dense or lighter than water, according to the University of Plymouth, adding that the food coloring has the same density as the water, so it sinks through the oil and mixes with the water.
As students created lava lamps, there was a sense of excitement and empowerment. Students enthusiastically helped each other while complimenting them on the beauty and quality of the lamps.
Leslie Perez, a Trinity freshman studying radiology, found out about the event through flyers in the elevator.
“I love lava lamps, I wanted to build my own, and I want them for my room,” she told Trinity Times while swishing the colorful liquid through the glass container. “So I was like, I might as well attend, because a lot of the lamps cost like $30 by themselves. I wanted to see if I could make my own and display it in my room.”
In addition to creating a room decoration, the event also gave Perez the opportunity to take a shot at learning fun science concepts and the chance to network with other students.
“I feel like it brings us together to create new projects,” Perez said. “I had fun connecting with the girls I sat across from. I didn’t know them, but they seemed really nice.”
Beyond creating a fun interactive environment, De La Paz Charco said the organization was addressing the decline in STEM participation, particularly among incoming students.
“We’re hoping to create more events like this because we really want more student engagement, especially in STEM,” she said. “We have been notified that there haven’t been a lot of STEM students coming in this upcoming freshman class, so we’re trying to engage current students.”
The turnout at the event reflected the organization’s efforts to host more fun, engaging activities, as the room was filled with both STEM and non-STEM majors who arrived individually and in groups to participate.
Na’Kiya Butler, a senior majoring in information technology, had been invited to join her friends and said this event changed her perspective of chemistry. “Usually when you think of chemistry, you think of something super complicated.”
“But here, all you had to do was use oil, water and color,” Butler said. “I liked that they gave us primary colors so we could mix and create whatever we wanted.”
The lava lamp event reflected Ladies F.I.R.S.T.’s overall mission of making STEM more accessible for all students.
For Perez and Butler, this event showed them that science wasn’t boring and just for students who love to spend their time in laboratories, precisely the outcome members of Ladies F.I.R.S.T. were hoping to achieve: to continue creating spaces where STEM is less intimidating.