We are looking for interns with a wide array of skills and
majors (including but not limited to: Criminology, Communications,
Government, International Relations, Public Policy, History, GIS, Geography,
Economics, English, Mathematics, Psychology, Languages and Statistics).
Students from any institution may apply and we will consider current and
recently graduated undergraduates, graduate students, and PhD candidates. In
addition to the experience gained during their internship, interns will also
receive mentoring, training and the opportunity to participate in many
professional development activities. START is very willing to work with
academic institutions to enable students to undertake our internships for
credit. Our internships are unpaid and students must be able to undertake their
work hours on location at START at the University of Maryland College Park,
unless stated otherwise in the internship description.
The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is a research center, based at the University of Maryland, committed to the scientific study of the causes and human consequences of terrorism in the United States and around the world as well as related topics. START experts apply a range of research methods to the exploration of these questions in order to deliver findings based on the best available open-source evidence and data. At the heart of START's work is the principle that its research must be both scientifically rigorous and directly relevant to homeland security professionals. START is a Center of Excellence supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and also receives funding and support from a variety of Federal agencies, private foundations, and universities.
The Internship Program
START offers unpaid internship experiences on many of its large-scale research projects, including START’s flagship research project, the Global Terrorism Database, with the center’s Unconventional Weapons and Technology program as well as our HQ support teams such as Communications and Education. Throughout the course of their internship, participants are exposed to the most up-todate theories, methods and information relating to the study of terrorism. They are versed in critical questions being tackled by homeland security practitioners, policy makers and researchers, and they are mentored in a successful, professional environment. The internship program is open to undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students (as well as some recent graduates) in any related discipline from any institution. Interns work onsite at START headquarters and often receive academic credit for their participation. Each internship lasts for one semester (or summer term). Participants work at least 10 hours/week during the fall and spring semesters and 20 hours/week during the summer. Interns also participate in a program of enrichment and career development activities and receive mentoring from START researchers and staff.
Below is a sampling of available opportunities. Please visit
our website for more information and to access the application form: http://www.start.umd.edu/careers/internships
Global Terrorism Database (GTD)
The GTD is an open source, unclassified database including
information on terrorist attacks around the world since 1970. The database is
maintained by START researchers. The GTD includes systematic data on domestic
as well as international terrorist incidents and now includes over 113,000
cases. The GTD intern team is organized into the following themes:
·
GTD: Incident Location and Geographic Identification (GEOINT)
·
GTD: Perpetrator Identification
·
GTD: Target Classification
·
GTD: Understanding the Patterns and Use of Weapons and Tactics
·
GTD: The Consequences of Terrorism – Casualties and Outcome
·
GTD: Coding Intern At Large (Generalist)
Unconventional Weapons and Technology
The Unconventional Weapons and Technology Division consists
of a number of intensive, shorter-term research projects concentrated on
research topics within the larger study of terrorism and politically violent
non-state actors. Intern positions are available in the following focus areas:
·
Aviation Insider Threat Research
·
Advanced Research Internship (ARI)
·
Terrorist Idealology Project
·
Behavioral Indicators of Insider Threats
·
Assessing and Preventing the Bioscience Insider Threat
·
Project Leviathan
·
Project Prometheus
Risk Communications and Community Resilience
Government, non-profits, and other organizations rely on
public communication to deliver important messages to various audiences.
Professional communicators today use social scientific research to improve this
process, and START’s research teams have several current and upcoming
communication projects that address current research questions. Risk
communication is important for delivering messages about impending storms,
terrorist attacks, public health crises, and more. Interns working on this team
will support several ongoing research projects as well as new projects.
Dataverse
START is continuing to develop the Terrorism Data Archive
Dataverse. Interns for this project will learn about terrorism-related data
through archiving datasets and reading over documentation. Interns will serve
as Assistant Editors and will be responsible for preparing data for archiving
onto the START Dataverse. Depending upon the dataset, there will also be
opportunities to create Codebooks and add labels and values to the data.
Interns will receive training in the archiving process.
Strategic Military Assessment Research and Transition
(SMART) Projects
SMART projects focus on the relationships of violent
non-state actors (terrorist, pirates, etc.) and state authorities to analyze
their patterns of interaction and strategies of violence.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Analytical
Interns will contribute to the construction of a global,
multimodal transportation network. Tasks will include analysis and
aggregation of large-scale datasets, database triangulation, manual vector
editing, extensive open-source research into traditional and illicit
transportation methods, digital cartography/mapmaking, and translation of
START’s qualitative research into geospatial format. Interest/experience
in global security and/or terrorism is beneficial.
Communications
START’s Communications team is seeking interns to assist
with START’s communication activities and products. Intern responsibilities
vary but may include: Writing and editing press releases and featured stories,
planning and attending events, creating media kits, developing and tracking
media lists and monitoring social media.
Understanding Domestic
Radicalization
This internship is part of the Profiles of Individual
Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) project, a three-year project which
seeks to establish an empirical basis to investigate the underlying mechanisms
and processes for individual radicalization in the United States. Previous
intern teams researched information on radicalized individuals and entered it
into a dataset; wrote case studies on radicalized individuals; performed
quality-control checks on the dataset; performed structured qualitative
analysis; and assisted project staff in conducting analysis on the quantitative
data.
Developing Technology in
Explosive Detection Dogs
Interns for this project will assist in developing
deployment strategies with explosive detection dogs while utilizing new
technology in the field. Interns will be working closely with four K9
dogs and their handlers while training and being deployed for Person Borne
Improvised Explosive Device Detection. Interns must have a flexible
schedule and ability to be around dogs. Interns will be required to pass
a brief background check.
START/State Department Terrorist Organizations Project
Internship
Students will gather and analyze statistics on terrorist
organizations over time. Projects will include collecting the number and type
of attacks over time, looking at trends, and possibly even modeling group
capacity out into the future. Interns will also provide assistance in
researching open source information on the leadership of some groups for
possible future designations. Interns will be co-supervised by researchers at
the University of Maryland and by project leads at the State Department. The
State Department leads will set and give feedback on tasks. Interns will be
based at START’s offices on the University of Maryland campus.
Government Actions in Terror Environments (GATE)
Recent research suggests that governments have a vast set of
policy tools at their disposal vis-à-vis terrorist groups, and that pure
reliance on repressive policies can be counterproductive. While policymakers
increasingly recognize the importance of non-military counterterrorism tools in
addition to military ones, it is not yet known which type of government actions
are effective; and when carrots might be more effective than sticks in
defeating terrorist groups. This is a unique opportunity to better understand
the terrorist conflict in the US and across specific regions of the world and
to get a unique view of how governments deal with those conflicts.
Why choose an internship at START?
· Experience working
with a large team of dynamic and experienced researchers.
· Exposure to cutting
edge theories and methods.
· Deepen your
understanding of current issues in terrorism and homeland security.
· Work on projects of
immediate interest to the practitioner and policy community.
· Hone and develop a
range of transferable skills attractive to future employers.
· Opportunity to work
with and meet other students and researchers with similar interests.
· Enrichment activities
offering wide opportunities for learning and professional development.
· Mentorship from START
staff and researchers in a successful workplace environment.
· Internships can be
undertaken for academic credit (depending on approval from your institution and
department).
General requirements
Applicants for all internships must:
· Have a good academic
record.
· Demonstrate an
interest in the subject matter.
· Be able to complete
their internship work hours on site at START.
· Agree to attend
orientation and training.
· Submit an application
by the deadline, all application packets must include:
o A complete application form
o One page resume
o Cover letter
o Writing sample
o Unofficial transcripts from most recent institution
Each project may have additional requirements, including
minimum credit hours, citizenship, preferred majors, and compulsory meeting
times.
How to apply
Priority Deadline: midnight October 30th (Please
note this is the final deadline for some projects, as noted on the project
description. All international students must apply by the priority deadline in
order to ensure appropriate paperwork is completed in time for start of the
program.)
Final Deadline: midnight November 13th
Applicants should visit for http://www.start.umd.edu/webform/internship-application-form-spring-2016
access to the application system and instructions.
For more information about the projects, requirements and
for the application form visit: http://www.start.umd.edu/careers/internships
