{ Keith Rowan & CSI President Marlene Springer, 2004 }

Keith Rowan (Adjunct Faculty Member & Senior Astronomy Technician) was granted the College of Staten Island's Employee of the Month Award by then CSI President Marlene Springer, in April 2004, for his outstanding work during the special "Mars 2003 - a Close Encounter" Astronomy Event, and for his long term student and public astronomy programs at the CSI Astrophysical Observatory. The public and subsequent V.I.P. observation events (Mars 2003), under the direction of Professor Irving K. Robbins and V.P. Richard Truitt, were special fund raising events which brought in over $20,000.00 in donations for CSI student scholarships and observatory equipment. In this capacity Keith had faithfully served for 10 years (thru 2005) as the original Staff Astronomer (since the Observatory's opening) who was responsible for all the student, public observations, and special events while operating the 16-inch computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at the CSI Astrophysical Observatory and Research Center.