Keeping up with UHL news is as easy as becoming a fan; a Facebook fan, that is. The Hygienic Laboratory recently created a Facebook page to share information about the many activities of the state's environmental and public health laboratory.

Facebook is a social networking site that allows users to create profiles and stay in contact with friends and organizations. Members can post links to news stories, make comments, create discussion forums, and add photos and videos.

The site was started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg while he was a student at Harvard, and was quickly adopted by many Ivy League schools. Since then, Facebook has greatly expanded to more than 64 million users, including several University of Iowa departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To join or "Become a fan" of the Hygienic Laboratory page, click 'Sign Up' to join Facebook. For those who already belong to Facebook click on "Become a fan" at the top of the screen.

Fans receive updates about postings to the site and can easily add their own comments.