Investigators headed to U.S. research base on Antarctica after claims of sexual violence, harassment

The watchdog office overseeing the National Science Foundation is sending investigators to Antarctica's McMurdo Station after hearing concerns about the prevalence of sexual violence at the U.S. research base.

Meanwhile, the NSF, a federal agency, said it's furthering its own efforts to address the "pervasive problem." The agency announced Friday that it is appointing Renée Ferranti as a special assistant to the NSF director to focus on sexual assault and harassment prevention and response.

An Associated Press investigation in August uncovered a pattern of women at McMurdo Station who said their claims of harassment or assault were minimized by their employers, often leading to them or others being put in further danger.