This fall, START welcomed nearly 90 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 25 universities around the world to its intern cohort. The interns come from a diverse range of academic disciplines and represent 15 different states.
“About 60 percent of this semester’s interns come from schools other than the University of Maryland, which is a great success for us, especially during the school year,” said Experiential Education Manager Katherine Taylor. “It shows that students from around the country are seriously invested in our work.”
The START internship program has become increasingly competitive in recent years. The summer semester garnered over 300 applications, a 20 percent jump from the previous year. Traditionally, fall and spring semester interns come primarily from the D.C., Maryland or Virginia areas but this fall’s cohort includes students from California, Utah, Michigan, Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom.
In addition to having a geographically diverse group of interns, START is implementing a number of new intern projects in the fall, including: Salafi Narratives, an examination of violent narratives and nonviolent counternarratives; Eyes of Victory, focusing on cyber intelligence collection and assessment; and International Nuclear Detection Architecture, an exploration of the factors that contribute to nuclear/radiological security on a global stage. START also partners with the University of Maryland Police Department to offer an internship working with the K9 training unit, focused on explosive detection.
An internship with START provides opportunities and experiences beyond research projects. The fall cohort will have access to a vast “enrichment” series of seminars and talks throughout the semester, thanks to increased efforts to bring in speakers and experts in the field.
“We really ramped-up our enrichment calendar for the fall,” said Events Coordinator Beth Schwartz. “We will host a range of speakers from across the academic and intelligence communities, which will be a wonderful networking and professional development opportunity for our students.”
Keep an eye on the START events page to hear about upcoming public talks and lectures.