Safe and Harassment-free Fieldwork Requirements Virtual Office Hour

Program directors from the NSF directorates for Biological Sciences (NSF BIO) and Geosciences (NSF GEO) held a virtual office hour on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. EST on the new pilot effort regarding Safe and Harassment-free Fieldwork plans.

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Background
 

It is NSF policy to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted.  NSF’s policy recognizes that a community effort is essential to eliminate sexual and other forms of harassment in science and to build inclusive scientific climates where people can learn, grow, and thrive.

Several solicitations from BIO and GEO will soon require the submission of a Safe and Harassment-free Fieldwork Plan that will be considered as part of the Broader Impacts criteria during the review process.

This two-page supplementary document must address the following four sections:

1. A brief description of the field setting and unique challenges for the team;
2. The steps the proposing organization will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment, including processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct, trainings, mentor/mentee mechanisms and field support that might include regular check-ins, and/or developmental events; 
3. Communication processes within the off-site team and to the organization(s) that minimize singular points within the communication pathway (e.g., there should not be a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone); and 
4. The organizational mechanisms that will be used for reporting, responding to, and resolving issues of harassment if they arise.  

It is NSF policy to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted.  NSF’s policy recognizes that a community effort is essential to eliminate sexual and other forms of harassment in science and to build inclusive scientific climates where people can learn, grow, and thrive. 

Accordingly, for each proposal that proposes to conduct research off-campus or off site to programs not including those listed above, the AOR must complete a certification that the organization has a plan in place for that proposal that describes how the following types of behavior will be addressed: 

1. Abuse of any person, including, but not limited to, harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form.
2. Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly.