This year, STRiVE will take place from January 8 - 12, 2018.

STRiVE is an intensive and engaging off-campus leadership retreat (5 days, 4 nights) developed to inspire students to become more effective leaders on campus and in their lives. The STRiVE coaches (consisting of 13 UMBC students and staff) tailor a curriculum that encourages the 60 participants to make new friends, learn about themselves, reflect on values and ethics, work in teams to develop practical plans for making a difference on campus, and tackle both simulated and real leadership challenges. Nearly 100% of all STRiVERS would recommend STRiVE to a friend!

Friendly reminder that the deadline for START's Spring Internship Program is fast approaching at 11:59 pm on Sunday, November 5th! 

 

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.

 

Below is a short summary of the opportunities available. Please visit our website for more information and to access the application form: http://www.start.umd.edu/careers/internships.

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.

GIS: Cartel Smuggling Open-Source Project

Conduct open source research to identify transnational criminal Cartel Smuggling organizations, in Mexico and Arizona 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. The GIS team is seeking up to 5 interns to assist with the Cartel Smuggling Open-Source 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:
• A complete application for the correct semester (available at http://www.start.umd.edu/careers/internships ),
• One page resume,
• Cover letter,
• Writing sample,
• Unofficial transcripts from most recent institution.

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

 

Applicants should visit http://www.start.umd.edu/careers/internships for 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

Last Thursday, October 12th, the Women’s Center held the second roundtable discussion in our fall series. This one was titled Women and the Environment, and prompted a conversation about how women’s work with regard to the environment was different from men’s, as well as how the environment has disparate impacts on women. Ultimately, we set out to answer the daunting question of how we can bring awareness to the intersections of gender, race, and class with regard to environmental justice.

We started off by looking at some of the statistics about women’s employment in environmental fields, which were harder to come by because of its broad and interdisciplinary nature. Still, by looking at large trends (only 12% of the jobs in the green energy industry are held by women), case studies at a few prestigious universities, and patterns of leadership, we found large discrepancies in the rates at which women and men were employed in these sectors.

From there, we moved on to hear what our panelists had to say about larger themes regarding women and the environment. Dr. Dawn Biehler, a professor in the Geography and Environmental Systems department here at UMBC talked about the history of environmental organizations and how many of the white men who ran them blamed women and people of color for environmental degradation and then silenced their voices when it came to conversations about reparations. Dr. Biehler explained ways in which these patterns are seen today, such as the narratives that blame the higher fertility rate of women in the developing world for problems like poverty and hunger, rather than looking at factors like colonization and the unequal distribution of resources.

Sustainability coordinator Tanvi Gadhia talked further about a global perspective and the differences between her work in India with Vandana Shiva and her work in the United States with various sustainability groups. Ultimately, she argued that the hierarchical structures seen in the West benefit those with privilege and hurt marginalized groups like women and people of color. Additionally, she argued that tokenistic inclusion of women and minorities in these groups is not enough; representation does not matter if an institution is not receptive to the voices and leadership of everyone, especially those who have a history of being silenced.

Lastly, graduate student Macey Nortey talked about her work studying disaster relief and the concept of holistic recovery. Because of the bureaucracy associated with receiving aid, it is often difficult for communities to wait for the aid of the federal government. Furthermore, government officials may also be selective about who they deem worthy of receiving aid (see Puerto Rico). Therefore, it is necessary for communities to do some preparation themselves to make up the difference. Holistic recovery is also beneficial in that it allows for everyone’s voice to be heard with equal weight.

Ultimately, the main themes that came out of this conversation were how to be inclusive of marginalized groups and why it’s necessary, understanding how different groups of people have different relationships to the environment and environmental labor, and how access to resources shapes who gets a say in environmental policy. The inclusion of suppressed voices is integral to our social justice ideals–different communities have different needs, and only by including all voices will all needs be met. The disproportionate impacts certain groups of people face in the aftermath of environmental disasters are not coincidental; they are the result of human intervention and it is our responsibility to correct them.

Further Reading:

• Tampons vs. Diva Cups
• The link between feminism and the environment
• Learn about eco-feminism
• An old Women’s Center blog post about why the Flint water crisis is a feminist issue
• Some research from one of our panelists: Dr. Biehler
• Check out a young Baltimore woman who won a prestigious environmental award!
• An interview about women in environmental professions
• Women’s Environment & Development Organization