The U.S. National Science Foundation is committed to a culture free from sexual assault and harassment wherever NSF-funded activities are conducted. NSF strives to ensure a victim/survivor-centered approach and to always place the rights, confidentiality, wishes, needs, safety and well-being of the victim/survivor at the center of all prevention and response efforts.
Safe research environments are not limited to those conducting research but also include those in supportive roles, such as NSF federal employees, contractor employees and affiliates who work in support of NSF or whose work is funded by NSF.
If you are an NSF employee, contractor, awardee or affiliate and would like support from NSF SAHPR to find out your options for filing a report or complaint, or to get resources, contact our office.
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What is the NSF Sexual Assault and Harassment Prevention and Response program?
NSF SAHPR program office
The NSF SAHPR program office serves as NSF's central point of contact for the coordination of response to sexual assault, sexual harassment and stalking incidents and is responsible for overseeing comprehensive prevention practices.
The purpose of the NSF SAHPR program office is to support individuals who have experienced sexual violence and to ensure the sensitive and comprehensive care of survivors. SAHPR does this by helping victims and survivors:
- Identify information on available support resources.
- Navigate the available options for how and where to report incidents.
- Access advocacy and support through any investigative processes, safety planning and other needs.
The SAHPR program office does not provide legal advice or conduct investigations.
To support healthy, safe, respectful environments free from sexual violence, the SAHPR program office is responsible for:
- Establishing NSF policies and training programs to support prevention efforts and provide a survivor-centered and trauma-informed response to sexual assault and sexual harassment.
- Cultivating an organizational climate of mutual trust, safety and respect that encourages survivors to report incidents without fear of retaliation.
- Ensuring all NSF community members understand their roles and responsibilities to prevent and report sexual violence.
- Continuous monitoring and evaluation to track the effectiveness of NSF SAHPR-related policies and procedures.
NSF Safer Science Helpline
If you have experienced sexual assault sexual harassment or stalking, NSF SAHPR has established the NSF Safer Science Helpline.
The helpline is designed to provide crisis intervention, emotional support and information about reporting and resources for members of the NSF research community including researchers, grantees, scientists, contractors and affiliates who are victims and/or survivors of sexual assault, sexual harassment and/or stalking.
Through the helpline, support specialists provide live, confidential, one-on-one support regardless of the place or time of the occurrence. Victims and survivors may access resources through phone, online chat and SMS text support mechanisms as well as through a mobile application available for download to mobile devices. This support is available to all members of the NSF research community who have been affected by sexual assault, sexual harassment and/or stalking. All services are anonymous, secure and available worldwide, 24/7.
Do not suffer in silence. If you have been the victim of sexual assault, sexual harassment or stalking, we encourage you to use this excellent resource and speak to someone who may be able to help you start healing and provide you with the resources you need to address your particular situation.
Please be mindful that all internet traffic may be subject to monitoring by NSF. Therefore, privacy cannot be guaranteed when using the helpline online chat function while deployed to Antarctica or when accessing the internet through a government network
Information maintained within or retrievable through the NSF computer system, including electronic mail files, may be reviewed, and retrieved by the Department of Homeland Security; NSF officials who have a legitimate reason to do so when authorized by the Director or Deputy Director; or by the Inspector General.
How to contact the helpline:
Phone: (833) 673-1733
Text: (202) 932-7569
Website and online chat: NSFSaferScienceHelpline.org
The NSF Safer Science Helpline, and services offered through that website, are operated by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, through a contract with NSF SAHPR. You will be subject to RAINN’s privacy policy when you follow the link.
NSF Employee Assistance Program
NSF is committed to ensuring safe research environments free from sexual assault and harassment. While no one will be turned away from the helpline, the intent for the NSF Safer Science Helpline is to support the broader research community.
NSF federal employees seeking support services for sexual assault, sexual harassment and/or stalking can contact the NSF Employee Assistance Program (EAP). NSF federal employees can reach out to EAP for free, 24/7 confidential counseling and referral services for them and their family members.
Information about the program can be found on the Employee Service Center. Additional questions and requests for resources can be made to NSF SAHPR, saferscience@nsf.gov.
Resources for USAP participants
For current and former USAP participants
If you are a current or former USAP participant and a survivor of sexual assault or harassment, the below resources are available to you.
The USAP Victim Advocate provides confidential information about safety planning, reporting, possible accommodations and other support resources for members of the USAP community who experience sexual assault and/or sexual harassment.
Email: USAPadvocate@LDSScorp.com
Phone: 720-568-1083
USAP Extension: x42709
Note for USAP community members: The NSF Antarctic Helpline is now called the NSF Safer Science Helpline. Contact information for helpline services (e.g., phone number, SMS text number) remains the same for all USAP participants. An updated resource flyer is coming soon. Questions can be sent to saferscience@nsf.gov.
For current USAP participants only
If you are a current USAP participant in Antarctica, the below resources and services are also available to you.
Are you experiencing an emergency and need immediate assistance in Antarctica? Contact the following:
McMurdo Station and South Pole Station
Call 9-1-1.
Palmer Station
Call for help on the radio.
USAP vessel
Call for help on the radio or call the captain of the vessel.
In the field
Call the McMurdo Dispatch at (720) 568-1042.
For all USAP stations, vessels and fields
You can also contact the special deputy U.S. marshal by phone at (720) 568-1039.
For medical services, such as physical examinations, medical forensic exams and preventative treatments, contact:
McMurdo Station medical services
- Local extension: x42551
- Pager: 876
South Pole Station medical services
- Local extension: x61602
- Radio call number: 242
Palmer Station medical services
- Local extension: x52778
The USAP licensed clinical counselor provides confidential mental health support and counseling services.
Email: usap-counselor@usap.gov
The NSF station manager is deputized as a special deputy U.S. marshal with law enforcement responsibilities on the ice. These duties include investigating certain alleged crimes that occur in the Antarctic.
The special deputy U.S. marshal is stationed in McMurdo and is available 24/7.
Email: mcm-nsfstmgr@usap.gov
Phone: (720) 568-1039
Sexual violence resources
Crisis support services
These are U.S.-based resources that will help connect you with immediate support through hotlines and live chat.
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233.
- Create a personalized safety plan.
- Tips for accessing resources.
National Network to End Domestic Violence
Education, information and links to a variety of resources.
WomensLaw.org
Information to support victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking seeking information on navigating the legal system.
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
Information and resources for those who have experienced sexual violence.
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: (800) 656-HOPE.
- Live online chat.
- Iris chatbot (resources and referrals).
- "RAINN" mobile app (access to the hotline and finding help near you) available on iOS and Android.
- State-specific resources: Find help near you, local service provider look-up.
Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center (SPARC)
SPARC provides education and resources about the crime of stalking.
U.S. Department of Defense Safe Helpline
- Helpline: (877) 995-5247.
- www.Safehelpline.org
Educational resources
Sexual assault is a traumatic event that creates complex emotions and reactions. Individuals who have experienced trauma may react in ways that are unexpected or different than what you presume.
Well-informed leaders and supervisors are positioned to provide vital support to victims and survivors of sexual harm and to address or prevent secondary victimization or vicarious trauma.
The Neurobiology of Sexual Assault: Implications for First Responders
This lecture was given by Rebecca Campbell for the U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Part of the NIJ's "Research for the Real World" series, Campbell's lecture "brings together research on the neurobiology of trauma and the criminal justice response to sexual assault. She explains the underlying neurobiology of traumatic events, its emotional and physical manifestation, and how these processes can impact the investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults." Video length: 95 minutes.
"Emily Doe" Victim Impact Statement
Chanel Miller, also known as Emily Doe, the survivor in the Brock Turner Stanford University rape case, reads her victim impact statement, which has been read or viewed by hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world. In the victim impact statement, which went viral, the then-anonymous survivor describes how the assault impacted every aspect of her life. She later disclosed her identity and published the book, "Know My Name." Video length: Approximately 60 minutes.
Confronting the Reality of Sexual Violence on College Campus
Keynote lecture at Emory University by David Lisak. Video length: 53 minutes.
Voices from the ground: Justice needs of victim-survivors of sexual violence and their experiences
Although this presentation by Judith Rafferty from James Cook University, Australia, presents her research with female Tutsi rape survivors in the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda, this presentation summarizes the (universal) justice needs of rape survivors, which can include truth, consequences, perpetrator accountability, safety, validation, vindication, reparation and empowerment. Video length: 28 minutes.
Context is Key: Recognizing and Responding to Stalking
This webinar, presented by Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC), introduces the crime of stalking, discusses prevalence, perpetrator-survivor dynamics, and the intersections between stalking and other victimizations (including but not limited to intimate partner violence). Video length: 90 minutes.
Stalking: Lethality Risk Factors
This SPARC video focuses on identifying and ameliorating the safety risks associated with stalking behaviors. Video length: 90 minutes.
Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence
According to the data, nearly 50% of offenders are the stalking target's current or former intimate partner. This SPARC webinar addresses the behaviors, patterns, risks and frequency of stalking in the context of intimate partner relationships, noting that while all stalkers can be dangerous, current and former partners are generally more threatening, violent, and disruptive to the survivor's life. Video length: 90 minutes.
Sexual Assault: A Trauma Informed Approach to Law Enforcement First Response
This training video is an overview of how trauma impacts victims and how law enforcement or other first responders can implement a trauma informed response and approach to sexual assault survivors. Presented by former Burlington Police Chief Tom Tremblay and Rebecca Campbell of Michigan State University. It also references the flight, fright, freeze response and the neurobiology of trauma. Video length: Approximately 23 minutes.
Contact us
NSF SAHPR program office
Email: saferscience@nsf.gov
If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 48 hours, please follow up to ensure the SAHPR program office has received your communication.
For media and press inquiries, please contact the NSF public affairs office at media@nsf.gov or (703) 292-8070.
The SAHPR program office is available to support survivors and victims by providing resources, advocacy and support with navigating how and where to initiate a report of sexual harassment, sexual assault and/or stalking.
The SAHPR program office will take all reasonable steps to protect confidentiality, and any information provided to the office will be protected to the extent allowed by law.
If you choose to file a complaint with the responsible organization for investigation or inquiry, with your consent, the SAHPR program office will follow up with that organization to ensure that the matter is appropriately addressed based on the most relevant organizational policies and legal standards.
Please be aware that the SAHPR program office must provide information to the appropriate law enforcement authorities in circumstances where the disclosure is necessary to avoid a serious risk of imminent physical harm (e.g., plans to harm self or others).
