3 non-Ford employees and Ford executives were named to the “Transformation Advisory Council” to explore solutions to society’s sustainability challenges, says Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co. Initial “outside sustainability thought-leaders” include Amory Lovins, chairman and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute; Paul Hawken, environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author; and Peter Senge, senior lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founding chair of Society for Organizational Learning. www.ford.com

20 most popular articles of 2007, along with links to other well-read topics, can be found at Control Engineering online in a Jan. 15 posting. www.controleng.com

3.14 (or March 14) is “pi day,” so think ahead and plan a way to celebrate, then celebrate even larger in 2016 (3.1416). Read some fun history about the calculation of pi at www.codehappy.net/pi.htm

2 channels of programming offered Cutting Tool Materials and Deburring Processes in January, from Society of Manufacturing Engineers. www.sme.org. www.manufacturingengineering.tv

7 top 10 lists are among oddities at the diversion area of the Bosch Rexroth Website, some even engineering related, such as most exciting projects, best white papers, and reasons to date, and not date, an engineer. www.boschrexroth-us.com/diversions

300 members of the The Tooling, Manufacturing & Technologies Association (TMTA) now includes the American Mold Builders Association, which will make a greater impact in advocacy efforts for trade reform legislation on behalf of U.S. manufacturers, the groups say. TMTA, which offers insurance and a directory, addresses trade imbalances, infrastructure imbalances including living standards and regulatory standards, currency fluctuation standards, enforcement standards, and encourages a study period for existing trade relationships to see if they meet the above principles. www.amba.org, www.thetmta.com

10% more text messaging and use of iPods caused drivers to leave their lanes 10% more often in a simulated driving study conducted by researchers in the Clemson University psychology department. www.clemson.edu

$100,000 donation went to FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, a scientific organization dedicated to young science and technology leaders) from the Association for Laboratory Automation (ALA), “exemplifying its mission to educate scientists and engineers of all ages across all geographical boundaries,” ALA says. www.labautomation.org, www.usfirst.org.

40% is the amount, since 1980, that the U.S. electric power industry has cut sulfur dioxide emissions. Nitrogen oxides have been cut by 44%, while electricity demand grew by 77%, says the Edision Electric Institute. Coal, the source of such emissions, is used for about half of U.S. electricity generation. www.eei.org