The University of Rhode Island oceanography professor best known for discovering the wreck of the Titanic has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
URI announced Wednesday that famed ocean explorer Robert Ballard is among the 204 members of the new class. He is also founder of the Ocean Exploration Trust.
Members of the Academy come from academia, business, the arts and sciences, and educational and philanthropic organizations. An induction ceremony will be held in October at the Academy's Cambridge, Mass., headquarters.
Other members of the class include director and actor Al Pacino; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx; former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich; and Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber.
The Academy was founded in 1780.
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