START Profiled in the Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun recently interviewed Dr. Gary LaFree, Director of START, to talk about the consortium and its research projects, observing, "LaFree's background in criminology provides an 'interesting new way' to look at terrorist behavior." Calling START the "Manhattan Project of Social Science" the article highlights START's goals- using the behavioral and social sciences to shed light on terrorist recruitment and terrorist organizations, and to provide research into the reduction of the psychological and social impact of terrorist threats. START's extensive data base will be a key component in reaching these goals. According to LaFree, "The START database includes descriptions of domestic and international events collected since 1970 from news accounts and embassies." LaFree also discusses his "hopes that the center will persuade students to make careers in the study of terrorism and counterterrorism." Noting that START is in its preliminary stages, the article concludes that there is much excitement for what the consortium has to offer for the future. The full article is titled "What Makes Terrorists Tick" Found Here