A consortium of researchers dedicated to improving the understanding of the human causes and consequences of terrorism

START News: Terrorism in 2014; Assessing the bioweapon threat; Sinai Province of the Islamic State

FEATURED RESEARCH

Highlights and key trends in terrorism worldwide, 2014
In 2014, more than 16,800 terrorist attacks took place worldwide, causing more than 43,500 deaths and more than 40,900 injuries, including perpetrator casualties. More than 11,800 people were taken hostage in terrorist attacks in 2014. This new report provides a brief overview of patterns of terrorism in 2014, highlighting trends from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). Read more.

New study assessing the bioweapons threat in the U.S.
Experts are at odds in trying to assess the threat of bioweapons, according to new research published in Science magazine by researchers from UPMC and START. The research team analyzed the collective judgments of about 60 of the most influential biosecurity experts in the United States to assess the likelihood that bioweapons will threaten national security and to what degree legitimate research is at risk of misuse. Read more.
 


DISCUSSION POINT

Taking the Sinai Province of the Islamic State seriously without helping it destabilize Egypt
In this editorial piece, Sheehan Kane and William Braniff argue that more attention should be paid to the Sinai Province of the Islamic State given the potential consequences as ISIL may be trying to destabilize Egypt or carry out a cross-border campaign against the state of Israel. Read more.
 


PUBLICATIONS

Leaving the World of Hate
American Behavioral Scientist
Bubolz, Bryan F., and Pete Simi
 
Diffusing Controversial Technology: Barriers, Incentives, and Lessons Learned
Review of Communication
Petrun, Elizabeth L., and Irina Iles, Holly Roberts, Brooke Fisher Liu, Gary Ackerman
 
Probabilistic Graphical Modeling of Terrorism Threat Recognition Using Bayesian Networks and Monte Carlo Simulation
Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making
Regens, James L., and Nick Mould, Carl J. Jensen, Melissa A. Graves, David N. Edger
 
Resilience and the Neoliberal Project
American Behavioral Scientist
Tierney, Kathleen
 


START NEWS

LaFree named to Attorney General’s OJP Science Advisory Board
START Director Dr. Gary LaFree was recently selected to serve on the Office of Justice Programs Science Advisory Board under U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Comprised of scholars and practitioners in criminology, statistics, sociology, and practitioners in the criminal and juvenile justice fields, the board aims to bridge the divide between research and practice in criminal justice fields. Read more.
 
START welcomes diverse fall intern cohort
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 them come from schools other than the University of Maryland. Read more.
 
Boren Scholarship strengthens commitment to international federal service
Former START intern Patrick Niceforo recently returned from a semester studying Korean at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, thanks to a nationally competitive Boren Scholarship. Read more.
 
Researcher Spotlight: Patrick James
Given that he’s spent the past couple of years immersed in research exploring serious topics like radicalization and violent political movements, it’s hard to imagine START Researcher Patrick James as a carefree jazz musician. But the project manager of START’s Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) project, began his undergraduate career with a stint in music. Read more.
 


OPPORTUNITIES

**Researcher (hourly), Unconventional Weapons and Technology**
START’s Unconventional Weapons and Technology (UWT) Research Division is now hiring an hourly Faculty Researcher to support a project that focuses on identifying the population of sophisticated criminal events involving the circumvention of strong security systems in Europe. Apply now.
 

Social Unrest in the Middle East Conference

On Thursday, September 24 at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL) and START will host a conference on "Social Unrest in the Middle East." Register now.

AIG: Intelligence Analyst at Global Security Operations Center. Apply now Job ID 126624.
 
Davidson College: Assistant Professor, Political Science specializing in politics of the Islamic world. Apply by Sept. 20 with Requisition #1773.
 
Call for Abstracts: Nice Global Forum HLS & Crisis Management Submit by Oct. 1.
 
Call for Papers: Journal of International Relations Research Submit by Oct. 1.
 
Call for Papers: Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Submit by Sept. 1, 2016
 
DHS S&T ‘National Conversation on Homeland Security and Technology’ Dialogue Series Participate Now.
 


STUDENT BLOG

Understanding the motives of foreign fighters by Olivia Ryder
 
Minnesotan travels across the country to delve into risk communication by Logen Bartz
 
Analyzing disasters to better prepare for future events by Brenna Means
 
Ebola outbreak provides real-world internship lesson by James Stigall
 


START IN THE NEWS

New York Times: How to Stop the ‘Lone Wolf’ Attacks?
START Executive Director William Braniff is quoted in an Associated Press article about lone wolf attacks that was published in more than 250 outlets, including the New York Times. Read more.
 
Fox News: ISIS and the Psychology of Seduction
START Researcher Anthony Lemieux is interviewed live about why Americans would leave home to join ISIS, in the wake of a young Mississippi couple being arrested. Watch now.    
 
Foreign Policy: Talking Loud and Saying Nothing
START Researcher John Horgan is quoted in a Foreign Policy article about the Obama administration’s plan for CVE. Read more.
 
United States Institute of Peace: From Conflict in the Streets to Peace in the Society
START Researcher Erica Chenoweth’s research on nonviolent resistance was mentioned in a USIP article about civil resistance movements.  Read more.
 
ABC News: Sex slavery in ISIS
START Researcher Alejandro Beutel spoke about how sexual slavery is used by ISIS, both as part of its bureaucracy and as a recruiting tool. The interview appeared on dozens of local news outlets throughout the country, including ABC WJLA. Watch now.
 

This is a selection of news clips from the past month.
A complete list of START’s media coverage can be found here.


SUPPORTING START

 
Help Support START Research and Education
The START Consortium is dedicated to generating knowledge of the human causes and consequences of terrorism. Applying rigorous standards to both research and education, START seeks to illuminate one of the most highly politicized and understudied phenomena in the social sciences for students, practitioners and policy-makers. Funded primarily through research grants to date, START is seeking to generate an endowment that will provide the flexibility and autonomy to ensure that it can continue to serve as an objective source of data and empirically based analysis into the future.  To donate, or for more information, please click here