A team of UC Riverside researchers has uncovered a potential breakthrough in solar desalination that could reduce the need for energy-intensive saltwater treatment.

Led by Luat Vuong, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in UCR’s Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, the team has demonstrated for the first time how the highest frequencies of sunlight—specifically invisible ultraviolet (UV) light—can break the stubborn bonds between salt and water.

“To our knowledge, nobody else has yet articulated this deep UV channel for salt-water separation,” Vuong said. “UV light in the wavelength range of 300–400 nanometers is used for disinfection, but this deep UV channel, around 200 nanometers, is not well known. We may be the first to really think about how you can leverage it for desalination.”

While much work remains before practical applications are developed, the discovery provides a clear path for further research and innovation.

Published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, the study by Vuong and her colleagues details how the team made a wick from aluminum nitride—a hard, white ceramic—to separate salt from water by harnessing specific light wavelengths that interact with salt water without heating the bulk liquid.

Unlike traditional solar desalination methods, which rely on dark materials to absorb heat and boil water, Vuong’s approach could bypass the need for thermal processes altogether.

The experiments involved placing pairs of ceramic wicks in an enclosed chamber, with each allowed to equilibrate or adjust to similar environmental conditions. Under UV light, evaporation rates of salt water increased significantly compared to control samples kept in the dark or exposed to red, yellow, or infrared light.

“Aluminum nitride is well suited for emitting UV light due to its crystalline structure,” Vuong explained.

The material may be triggering a process called “photon upconversion,” in which low-energy photons combine into a single high-energy photon. That upconverted photon delivers a more powerful punch, potentially strong enough to break the salt-water bonds.

If this upconversion process occurs without generating excess heat, which is yet to be determined, the approach could offer a non-photothermal alternative to traditional solar desalination systems that boil or heat salt water to produce vapor, which then condenses into fresh water.

Such solar systems also could reduce the heavy electricity demands of reverse osmosis systems, which use high-pressure pumps to force salt water through membranes. The system could also address the concentrated reverse-osmosis brine waste, which is toxic to marine life when discharged into waterways.

Other potential applications for the wicking approach may be for other waste management processes, harvesting minerals in extreme environments, or replacing “swamp” coolers with salt water evaporation systems.

Still, Vuong emphasized that further research is needed before aluminum nitride-based solar desalination systems can be engineered for widespread use.

“Other materials may be designed to be just as effective, but aluminum nitride is practical. It is inexpensive, widely available, non-toxic, highly hydrophilic, and durable,” Vuong said.

Moving forward, Vuong’s group is designing system architectures, fabrication processes, and spectroscopic tools to better understand and enhance light-driven evaporation.

The Australian Digital Inclusion Index has found almost half of Australians recently used generative AI tools, raising new opportunities and challenges for digital inclusion.

Usage was highest among students, with 79% reporting recent use, while 69% of Aussies aged 18 to 34 have also engaged with GenAI.

Overall, 46% of Australians reported recently using GenAI.

People living in remote areas were twice as likely to use AI chatbots for social connections or conversations than those in metropolitan areas.

Australians who speak a language other than English at home were more likely to use GenAI, 59% compared to 41% of English-only speakers, likely due to advances in AI-powered translation.

About a third of people with disabilities have used GenAI, with strong use of these technologies among this group for entertainment and advice.

The study’s Chief Investigator, Distinguished Professor Julian Thomas from RMIT University, said GenAI was creating new digital divides but also presenting fresh opportunities.

“GenAI has the potential to deliver significant benefits for everyone, but its impact will be greatest if it’s implemented fairly and no one is left behind in the digital transformation,” he said.

“People with lower digital skills may be less likely to benefit from AI, while being more exposed to new risks such as scams, misleading content and invasive data practices.

“As technologies like GenAI and new security tools evolve quickly, people need to keep refreshing their digital skills to stay current.”

The most common uses for GenAI were generating text, creating images and creating programming code.

Access and skills improving but persistent barriers remain

The Australian Digital Inclusion Index measures how Australians access and use digital technologies, factoring in digital skills and affordability.

It’s a collaboration between the ARC Center of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology and Telstra.

Australians’ overall skills and confidence to use digital technologies strengthened, rising 8.7 points between 2023 and 2025 to 73.6.

The largest gains were among people aged 75 and over, whose digital ability increased from 23.3 to 41.5, and among those without secondary education, rising from 38.5 to 54.4.

While the findings suggest digital inclusion is improving, about one in five Australians still struggle to fully access, afford and use technology.

Chief Investigator Professor Anthony McCosker from Swinburne said the report showed major gaps between Australians who can fully participate in the digital economy and those being left behind.

“Digital exclusion remains a big challenge, particularly for older Australians, those in remote communities and people experiencing social and economic disadvantage,” he said.

It’s more than just an inconvenience; digital exclusion cuts people off from vital services and opportunities in education, work and health.

Regional Australia still lags cities in digital inclusion

The most digitally excluded were older people, those facing social or economic disadvantage and First Nations Australians.

Gaps between those in capital cities and the rest of Australia remain significant, with digital inclusion scores trending downward with remoteness.

Access, affordability and digital ability scores were below the national average in Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland, while Northern Territory residents faced significant access challenges.

Telstra Chief Sustainability Officer Justine Rowe said the company would use the evidence in the Index to target support where it can have the greatest impact.

“Closing Australia’s digital divide is a focus for Telstra’s Connected Future 30 strategy and we commit to supporting the digital inclusion of 1 million people by FY2030, with at least 200,000 in the Northern Territory, South Australia or Tasmania where there continue to be significant digital inclusion challenges,” she said.

Across Australia, inner-metropolitan areas had the highest levels of digital inclusion, while remote and very remote local government areas had the lowest scores.

The study found many low-income households were unable to afford a home internet connection, leaving them reliant on pre-paid mobile as their main, and often only, way to get online.

Public housing residents, people without secondary education and people with disability faced the greatest challenges in paying for digital services.

There was a significant affordability gap of 13 points between First Nations people and other Australians.

More data specific to mapping the digital gap for First Nations Australians is expected to be released by the ARC Center of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society in December.

As much as any city, Seattle is synonymous with the tech industry. Over the past 40 years, Seattle and its suburbs have seen hometown heroes like Microsoft and Amazon grow into some of the biggest businesses on the planet. Around them has sprung up a diverse network of companies whose work touches nearly every aspect of public life, from Redfin to Costco to Wizards of the Coast, to name a few.

Tech culture has seemingly permeated nearly every aspect of city life here—a fact about which some local Mossbacks grumble—and it has transformed certain neighborhoods entirely over the past few decades. This is especially true of the South Lake Union neighborhood, where Jeff Bezos has parked his mighty balls, and a new crop of office towers and hotels have sprung up around them in priapic fashion, eager to serve Amazon’s considerable needs.

Seattle is also a distinct cultural destination in its own right, and the stuff you’ve seen before on TV—like the Pike Place Market (please note it is not possessive; Pike Place, not Pike’s Place) or the ferry boats scooting around the Puget Sound—is very much worth checking out while you’re in town. Live sports, live music, a surprisingly good comedy and theater scene, great shopping, and awesome restaurants (particularly with fresh seafood) are all on deck for Seattle travelers, and I do suggest trying it all.

I know you’re here for work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. With the right hotel, a bar or two to decompress in, and a choice dinner reservation, Seattle offers high levels of enjoyment amidst the busy professional environment. We work hard, we play hard—try and keep up, and no one complains about the rain, because it’s simply a fact of life.

Where to Stay in Seattle

107 Pine Street, (206) 596-0600

Tucked a block away from Pike Place Market, with epic views looking out over the market and on to Elliott Bay, this Seattle location from the California-based Pali Society offers unbeatable location benefits galore. You can literally use the market as your breakfast pantry, just a block outside your door—grab a morning pastry from Piroshky Piroshky or an espresso from Ghost Alley—and in a matter of minutes be anywhere downtown for meetings or at the Convention Center for convention stuff. Beloved Pike Place market mainstays like Athenian Cafe (for seafood), Alibi Room (for day drinking), and Café Campagne (for all-day French bistro) are seconds from your door. It literally does not get more Seattle than this.

110 Boren Avenue N., (206) 455-9077

Tech travelers with commitments in South Lake Union may want to choose a hotel directly adjacent to the action, and with around 10 to choose from, let me make it simple: Level Seattle is where you want to stay. This place is hyper modern to the extreme, with blazing fast Wi-Fi throughout the property, a vast, impressively modern gym with Peloton bikes and a climbing wall, and a level of detached chic interior design throughout that fits the busy travel vibe. If you’re here for a night or two, this place is great; if you’re in town for longer, and really getting your tech work on, Level Seattle also offers tastefully furnished apartment suites.

700 3rd Avenue, (206) 776-9090

The Arctic Club hotel is epic, in every sense of the word. Originally founded in 1908 as a social club for prospectors, financiers, and adventurers drawn to Seattle by the Klondike Gold Rush, the building was added to the National Register of Historic places in the late ’70s, and became a hotel in the late aughts. Today it’s operated by Hilton; many of the rooms have vast panoramic views of downtown, including the Olympic Mountains to the west and the historic Smith Tower building on the edge of Pioneer Square; and every room features free Wi-Fi, HDTV with streaming and casting, and complimentary breakfast. Eight of the suites feature rooftop terraces, so if you’re looking to splash out on a hospitality suite situation, this is a great option. The best part of staying here is your nightly proximity to the Polar Bar, which oozes history and sophistication, making it the perfect place to take a happy hour meeting or meet colleagues for a wind-down drink after meetings or post-dinner.

@intodustphotographyCourtesy of Fairmont Olympic

411 University Street, (206) 621-1700

Seattle’s grand dame hotel, opened in 1926, has been lovingly remodeled in a series of tasteful modernizations, including a significant $25 million update completed in 2021. They’ve really got it all here: a buzzy lobby bar, multiple restaurants, including The George, which offers perhaps the classiest brunch in Seattle, and an all-world spa and wellness complex on the bottom floor. The gym is modest and bright, but the real action is at the hotel’s glass conservatory swimming pool, which is set beneath sweeping skyscrapers above. Presidents and ambassadors and dignitaries and rock stars stay here, so why not you?

4140 Roosevelt Way N.E., (206) 632-5055

The University of Washington—my alma mater (real men wear purple)—is a major hub for various nodes of the tech industry, home to several leading research institutions and a world-class teaching hospital at UW Medical Center. If you’re in Seattle for work in and around the U District, it’s worthwhile to stay close by, and the University Inn is the best of the local bunch. Open since the early ’60s, and now managed by hospitality group Stay Pineapple, this spot is bright, clean, and modern with a kitschy ’60s atomic theme (but not too heavy-handed). I’ve been continually impressed by the range of amenities here across multiple stays: snacks in the lobby, free coffee in-room, a reusable PATH water bottle in every room and a filtered “Water Bar” in the lobby, and great customer service. The UW campus is a five-minute walk.

Coworking and Meeting Spaces

Aerial Seattle Downtown and Capitol Hill SunraysPhotograph: Mike Reid Photography/Getty Images

1424 11th Avenue, Suite 400, (206) 739-9004

Every real tech city has a coworking space where the people-watching is a good as the connectivity. Such is the scene at The Cloud Room, which floats above Seattle’s fashionable Capitol Hill neighborhood as part of the Chop House Row development. A $40 day pass gets you hi-speed Wi-Fi, printing services, free coffee (and kombucha), and flexible seating across the space’s dreamy warren of nooks and snugs. Check the events calendar for TCR’s many activities, from yoga to live music.

92 Lenora Street, multiple locations

A locally owned mini-chain of coworking spaces, with locations in Ballard, Belltown, and down south in Tacoma, The Pioneer Collective feels rooted in the Pacific Northwest thanks to a timber-forward approach to interior design—and a collection of working people from around the region. Day passes are $35, or $75 for your own private office, with gigabit Wi-Fi throughout and larger office meeting rooms available.

1700 Westlake Avenue N #200

Thinkspace has one thing the other coworking spaces in Seattle can’t match, and that’s proximity to Lake Union. Their Seattle location is set right on the water—you can even rent a stand-up paddleboard in case you need to get in a core workout between meetings. A day pass runs $50 and includes unlimited coffee and tea, showers and lockers, and phone booths as well as meeting room options. If you need to post that #OfficeViews ’gram and make the team back home jealous, this is your place.

Best Cafés and Co-Offices

Courtesy of Victrola Coffee

411 15th Avenue E., multiple locations

A personal favorite for getting a little work done with a nice cup of coffee. Victrola is a long-standing Seattle third-wave coffee bar, and its location on 15th Avenue has seen it all—get a cappuccino and a cookie and hunker down.

425 15th Avenue E

A bookshop dedicated to STEA(A)M titles and a charming, chill coffee bar with plenty of seating. This is the ideal place to work, relax, and perhaps pick up a book for your flight home. Ada’s is a short block or so from a great local cocktail bar called Liberty, in case your office hours need to transition into happy hour.

754 N. 34th Street

Long one of the city’s best cafés, in a charming neighborhood north of the lake with close proximity to the Adobe HQ. Milstead serves coffees from a variety of roasters, all prepared with “third wave” expertise and care. The shop gets busy on weekend mornings, but it’s a charming midweek coffice, particularly if the weather’s nice and you can sit outside.

472 1st Avenue N

A huge space, perfect for setting up your laptop or even taking a chill meeting, with coffee service by local roaster Café Vita. This is also the lobby for Seattle’s much-loved community supported radio station, KEXP, so you get cool points for hanging out here.

1501 17th Avenue E

Opened by former Canlis alums, this spot serves outstanding coffee and makes some of the city’s best pastries. The space inside is cute, and you can work if you need to, but use this cafe as a jump-off point for a walking meeting or a strolling phone call, and explore the leafy neighborhood it calls home.

4214 University Way N.E. (in the alley)

Seattle’s oldest continually operated coffee bar, this space vibrates with history and culture. If you’re anywhere near the U District I highly recommend you stop here for some laptop time amongst the students, professors, and assorted intellectuals that call Allegro a home away from home.

Where to Eat

Photograph: Jordan Michelman

4903 Rainier Avenue S

Brawling, bare-knuckle offal-forward cuisine to challenge and delight from chef Evan Leichtling, who cooked in San Sebastian and Paris before opening his own place in south Seattle. If a chanterelle and wild boar pot pie or ham and cantaloupe sorbet sound like your idea of a good time, perhaps washed down with some cheerful natural wine or craft beer, this is your place.

1054 N 39th Street

Mutsuko Soma is a James Beard finalist chef for her work at Kamonegi, where she hand-makes soba noodles nightly and runs one of the best tempura programs in the United States. Make a reservation, because this place is tiny, but if you have to wait, their nextdoor sake bar, Hannyatou, is a rollicking good time and features delicious drinking snacks.

2576 Aurora Avenue N

The godfather of Seattle fine dining, Canlis is unbeatable for its view, atmosphere, and timeless mid-century live piano vibes. Their beverage program is epic—in particular the cocktails of head bartender Jose Castillo (order his pimento sherry martini)—and the food from new executive chef James Huffman shows verve and promise. Some untold amount of deals and agreements and contracts and marriage proposals have been sealed behind these doors over the last 75 years, so why not add your Dinner of Great Importance to the historic register?