'Indy' gets elected to archaeological board

Harrison Ford, lauded by Boston-based Archaeological Institute of America

Dan Steinberg / AP file	Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones character has played a big role in stimulating interest in archaeological exploration, says the Archaeological Institute of America.

updated 7:02 p.m. ET May 15, 2008

BOSTON - The actor who helped glamorize archaeology on the big screen is lending his star power to the Archaeological Institute of America.

Harrison Ford, who portrays the adventure-seeking Indiana Jones, has been elected to the Boston-based organization's board of directors. The group promotes archaeological excavation, research, education and preservation worldwide.

AIA President Brian Rose says Ford's Indiana Jones character has played a major part in stimulating interest in archaeological exploration.

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The latest installment in the series, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull," opens in U.S. theaters May 22.