#SoCaltech: Ava Barbano
“When I was secretary of ASCIT [Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology], I was encouraged to take on my own project. At the time, Jim Barry [Caltech’s drawing, painting, and silkscreen art director] mentioned that he was looking to phase out the screen printing equipment on campus, and I realized it could be an opportunity to set up a student-run screen printing space.
With the help of the rest of the ASCIT Board of Directors, I began my search for a room. We were considering spaces such as an old photo darkroom or an abandoned storage closet, but we were constrained by space, access to running water, and proper ventilation. Eventually, we found and repurposed a room in the Student Activities Center, under the South Houses. We then applied for various funds such as the Moore-Hufstedler Fund and the Student Investment Fund to make some one-time purchases, upgrade the ventilation in the space, and install a half shower to wash out the screens.
We’ve been able to use the space and equipment for projects such as shirts for Ditch Day, GPS field trips, and merch for the houses. It’s also been a great way to get to know people from all over the Institute who are passionate enough about something to want to make a shirt for it. I've enjoyed teaching people how to screen print, because a lot of people don’t know how the process works and how having a tangible art project can be really rewarding.”
Ava Barbano is a fourth-year undergraduate studying computational and neural systems. In 2025, they were named an inaugural Ginsburg Scholar at Caltech for their work in establishing the screen printing room on campus. They served with ASCIT from 2023 to 2025. After graduation, they will join the University of Washington as a research assistant in the lab of Bing Brunton.
#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.