START has long prided itself on the quality of its internship program, and the coming Summer 2020 program, the first to be conducted entirely online, will provide students with the opportunity to work remotely.
“Ordinarily, we require our interns to work in-person at START, but adjusting to the COVID-19 outbreak means that wherever they are based, students from across the country can benefit from our internship program,” Experiential Education Specialist Eva Coll said. “In turn, this is creating additional opportunities for students who otherwise would not be able to relocate to participate in our traditional internship program.”
While the Spring 2020 internship program began with students working at START headquarters, guidance from the University of Maryland (UMD) led START to shift to online operations.
START offers unpaid internships year-round on a variety of research projects and teams. During the course of their internship, participants are exposed to the most up-to-date theories, methods and information related to the study of terrorism.
There are also several opportunities available for students to apply for unpaid internship stipends, particularly for the Summer session. Both UMD students and students who are not attending the University of Maryland are also encouraged to explore further opportunities for funding at their universities.
The Bright Futures Initiative Unpaid Summer Internship Scholarship Fund is available to any UMD student taking an unpaid internship during the Summer. Scholarships are generously funded by the Eisen Family, the University Career Center & The President’s Promise, the University of Maryland Parents Association and individual donors through Maryland Giving Day.
The Ammerman Foundation Student Veteran Professional Development Fund is a stipend available to veterans and military-connected students at UMD to help offset the cost of professional development opportunities such as certifications, trainings, unpaid internships and attendance at conferences. While the other stipends can only be applied to a Summer internship program, the Ammerman Fund is available to UMD students year-round.
The Paul Gallo Memorial Scholarship for Non-Traditional Student Interns is a stipend that was set up to honor the memory of Paul Gallo, who was a researcher and project manager within the Special Projects Division of START and unexpectedly passed away in 2014. This stipend is available to non-traditional students from any university who are accepted into the START Summer internship program. This is the only currently available stipend that START oversees the application and review process for.
Those who are interested in the START internship program are encouraged to contact internships@start.umd.edu with any questions.