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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 and graduates as well. In addition to the experience gained during their internship, interns will also receive mentoring, training and are able to participate in a calendar of professional development activities. START is also 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 at START at the University of Maryland College Park, unless stated in the internship description.
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. The GTD intern team is organized into the following themes:
- GTD: Incident Location and Geographic Identification
- GTD: Perpetrator Identification
- GTD: Target Classification
- GTD: Understanding the Patterns and Use of Weapons and Tactics
- GTD: The Consequences of Terrorism – Casualties and Outcomes
- GTD: Coding Intern At Large (Generalist)
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. The GIS team is seeking up to 5 interns to assist with the Transnational Illicit Trafficking (TransIT) Geospatial data collection and analysis project.
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. This internship provides an opportunity for extremely capable students to engage in research in a manner that is akin to a staff researcher at START and provides greater levels of responsibility and participation in real-world projects than many other internships. More advanced terrorism concepts and analytical skills are explored and developed in a collaborative, team-based environment. Advanced Research Interns may be involved in multiple projects simultaneously and have the opportunity to help transition projects into a variety of mediums and publications, including potential opportunities for co-publications.
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. With the 2010 attempt by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to infiltrate the international air cargo (IAC) system, focus has turned to the possibility of the IAC becoming susceptible to terrorist plots involving uncontrolled RN materials, as well as the development of “insiders” who could help to facilitate these ends. Through rigorous study of the air cargo industry and the psychosocial factors which could precede a vetted employee’s choice to betray his or her company’s commercial goals, START has developed a novel modeling and diagnostic tool relying on a brand new approach to improving air cargo and air cargo personnel security now deployed in the IAC system. During the spring 2018 period, the project team will prepare for and execute the software tool’s deployment with government and commercial cargo entities.
Unconventional Weapons and Technology (UWT): Project Leviathan Internship
This research internship will support a project that analyzes the potential radiological and nuclear (RN) threats to the United States by non-state actors. Project Leviathan integrates numerous adversary behavioral models and threat assessment tools into one system in order to assess the likely deterrent and deflective effects of various policies and investments on potential RN adversaries. Under the supervision of the principal investigator and other project leadership and as part of multi-faceted project, interns will be able to partake in a variety of tasks throughout the semester-long internship. As part of the adversary component of the project, a team of selected interns will conduct open source research to profile domestic and transnational criminal and extremist organizations, related to the potential trafficking of illicit radiological and/or nuclear material in the United States. Interns will research specific groups, write summaries of their activities, and identify new or emerging patterns of behavior relevant to national security. For this component of the project, interns will also have the opportunity to participate in the threat analysis process by performing social science and geospatial coding.
As part of the threat assessment portion of Leviathan, interns will conduct out open-source research in support of the Future Attacks by Radiological and Nuclear Adversaries (FARNA) model. FARNA is a behavioral model that is designed to forecast adversary decisions on weapon and target selection and their probability of carrying out a successful attack. Interns will be briefed on this tool and will then focus on a particular sub-model within FARNA; tasking will include conducting background research, assisting with model refinement, and drafting reports on the theoretical justification and results. Interns will meet weekly with the Principal Investigator and project team to review findings, strengthen the model and improve writing skills for both academic and government audiences.
Communications Internship
The START Communications team is seeking communications, public relations or journalism students to serve as interns this summer semester. 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
The START Communications team is seeking a Multimedia intern this spring. 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. Interns will also have the opportunity to work with the Multimedia team in order to design graphics and photograph company events.
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.
NSF INSPIRE Computational Modeling of Grievances and Political Instability Through Global Media Internship
Researchers and practitioners seeking to understand, resolve, and mitigate the consequences of conflict or political violence increasingly are drawing on tools from computational social science, or applied data science. START’s NSF-funded project on Computational Modeling of Grievances and Political Instability Through Global Media has ongoing research involving social media analytics for predicting when and where instability will occur, with a focus on election-related events and violence in Sub-Saharan Africa. Social media analytics provide a new source of data and novel techniques for understanding the causes and consequences of violence in areas where access is not feasible.
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 Internship
This internship is part of the Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) project, the largest known dataset of US-based cases of radicalization of its kind, which explores the trajectories, mechanisms, and consequences of violent and non-violent extremism. PIRUS and its related projects have already generated significant attention among policymakers and scholars, and PIRUS researchers have written several reports and articles derived from the data.
Spring interns will assist PIRUS researchers to expand and improve the quality of the PIRUS dataset by conducting in-depth research on radicalized individuals using publicly available sources and then synthesizing and recording the information for eventual inclusion into the dataset. By working on this project, interns will gain invaluable experience of what it is like to work on a project with significant and real-time impact upon countering violent extremism policies in the United States. Interns will also acquire insight into the processes of radicalization, the contemporary state of extremist ideologies and groups in the United States, as well as transferable skills in conducting open-source research.
Developing Technology in Explosive Detection Dogs Internship
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.
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 personal growth, schedule includes simulations, career presentations and research talks.
- Mentorship from START staff and researchers in a successful professional 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:
Each project may have additional requirements, including minimum credit hours, preferred majors and compulsory meeting times.
How to apply
Application deadline Spring 2018: Sunday, November 5, 2017; 11:59pm
