START Internships deadline EXTENDED

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). 

Global Terrorism Database (GTD) Internships

The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) is the most comprehensive unclassified terrorism database in the world. Currently updated through 2016, the GTD details information on more than 170,000 terrorist attacks that have occurred since 1970. Data from the GTD have been featured by the BBC, CNN, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Economist, The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post, and numerous other media outlets. The data are also used by the United States Department of State in its annual publication, Country Reports on Terrorism. GTD interns gain valuable experience working on a time-sensitive data collection effort that is used by those responsible for shaping United States counterterrorism policy.

Open-Source Geospatial Intelligence Internship

These internship opportunities will consist of open-source research in furtherance of a large-scale data collection effort to determine possible points of entry (POEs) across a variety of nations. 

Cartel Smuggling Open-Source Project

Conduct open source research to identify transnational criminal Cartel Smuggling organizations, in South America and the United States that may be relevant to attempts to smuggle illegal drugs and material. Interns will research specific groups, translate Spanish information to English, and identify new or emerging patterns relevant to project interest. Interns may also be involved in additional data collection on those organizations and networks that are deemed as having the capability to engage in such trafficking.  Interns may also work to identify or verify through open sources transportation networks in the regions of interest.

Unconventional Weapons and Technology (UWT): Aviation Insider Threat Research Internship

A principal goal of the homeland security enterprise is the deterrence, detection, and prevention of radiological and nuclear (RN) terrorism against the United States. This effort is pursued in part through the understanding and analysis of various pathways and modalities of attack which adversaries could exploit. During the fall 2018 period, the project team will execute the software tool’s deployment with government and commercial cargo entities.

Communications Internship

Rather than performing START research, candidates chosen for this project will gain extensive experience writing and publishing, developing social media strategies, and monitoring and reporting various analytics for the organization as a whole. Interns will also have the opportunity to work with the news media, learn media list and monitoring programs, and work in graphic design. 

Multimedia Internship

Rather than performing START research, candidates chosen for this project will gain extensive experience filming and editing professional training videos, assisting in designing concepts for multimedia projects and using a studio lighting kit to produce high quality video.  

ICONS Project Internship

The International Communication and Negotiation Simulations Project (ICONS) is a unit of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, College Park. ICONS creates web-based computer simulations for policy analysis and forecasting to help public and private sector organizations solve complex problems. Our policy division creates bespoke simulations to support think tanks, cabinet-level agencies, and Department of Defense major commands as they tackle complex national security challenges. Our Education Division places high school and college students from around the globe in challenging online simulation and gaming exercises that allow them to role-play resolving contentious geo-political issues. 

START/State Department Terrorist Organizations Project Internship

START is excited to be able to offer a limited number of highly selective intern positions to students interested in working on projects for the U.S. State Department using START data (such as the GTD) and other open sources. Students will be tasked with developing materials that create a realistic scenario based on extensive research on history, geopolitical situations, and internal religious or ethnic cleavages in a region in support the Bureau of Counterterrorism training efforts. This internship will be co-supervised by START on-site staff at the University of Maryland and by project leads at the U.S. State Department. The U.S. State Department leads will set and give feedback on tasks. 

Understanding Domestic Radicalization and Hate Crimes 

This internship will support START research focused on the processes of radicalization to violent extremism and hate crime offending in the United States. The core component of this research portfolio is the Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) dataset, the largest dataset of US-based cases of radicalization of its kind, which contains information on the trajectories, mechanisms, and consequences of violent and non-violent extremism at the individual level. PIRUS and its related projects have already generated significant attention among policymakers and scholars, and PIRUS researchers have published several reports and articles based on the data.

Unconventional Weapons and Technology (UWT): DARPA Sigma+ Project

UWT is seeking highly driven, outstanding students to participate in cutting-edge research on CBRNE adversary activity funded by DARPA. These tasks cover an array of research techniques and subject areas including quantitative methods, adversary modelling, and chemical weapon development. The primary purpose is to assist DARPA in the development of innovative approaches for detecting CBRNE activity. 

Unconventional Weapons and Technology (UWT): Advanced Research Internship

Designed for highly motivated, high-performing students, Advanced Research Interns participate in high-level substantive research and analysis for a variety of projects within the broader unconventional weapons and technology portfolio. Past Advanced Research Interns were tasked with projects such as designing models of insider threats in the aviation system, conducting imagery analysis of nuclear facilities to determine vulnerabilities, and assessing sophisticated engineering capabilities of terrorist and criminal organizations. 

UMPD/START Crime Research and Analysis

START will be working with the University of Maryland Police Department’s Analysis team to offer a limited number of intern positions for the UMPD/START Crime Research and Analysis project. Students will be tasked with conducting open source research and gathering information on existing groups carrying out attacks, as well as research related to the university and methods of keeping the university up to date and aware of items surrounding these issues. 

Please visit our website for more information and to access the application form: http://www.start.umd.edu/careers/internships.

The fall 2018 application deadline is now Sunday, July 8th at 11:59pm