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ICONS Project to Give Maryland Public High Schools Free Access to Educational Simulations
The ICONS Project is offering every Maryland public high school free access to its full catalog of 25 online, human-to-human role-play simulations through June 2027 for any teacher who registers by December 31, 2026. Used by educators in more than 50 countries for over 40 years, ICONS simulations put students in the roles of governments, organizations, and other stakeholders tackling real-world crises and negotiations to build skills in research, writing, persuasion, and decision making under pressure. Private schools and Maryland homeschooling programs can also participate at reduced rates, and teachers can preview scenarios and register at icons.umd.edu/education/catalog or email icons@umd.edu.
UMD Preserve, Pivot and Grow Program Supports START in Sustaining the T2V Project
START, along with five other College of Behavioral and Social Sciences research centers, has been selected for the Preserve, Pivot and Grow Program. This program is part of UMD’s Research Resilience Initiatives, which were created to support those impacted by the evolving federal funding landscape. The award will help sustain START’s Terrorism and Targeted Violence (T2V) Project through a transition to commercialization, maintain the T2V data, and ensure a durable pathway for continued access and updates.
Staff Spotlight: Indigo Sage
In this Staff Spotlight, we’re highlighting Indigo Sage and her work as ICONS’ Collaboration and Outreach Specialist. Learn more about her role, what motivates her work, and the perspective she brings to the team.
Summer 2026 Online Courses
Special Topics in Terrorism Studies: School Shooter and Spree Killers
Jun 1-Jul 10 | Instructor: Michael Egnoto
Analyzing Terrorism: Simulations, Wargaming, and Strategies of Security
Jun 1-Jul 10 | Instructor: Thomas Guarrieri
Special Topics: Nationalism, Division, & Violence
Jul 13-Aug 21 | Instructor: Michaela Gawrys
Special Topics: Contemporary Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Threats
Jul 13-Aug 21 | Instructor: Markus Binder
Experiential Learning in Terrorism Studies
Jun 1-Aug 21 | Instructor: Liberty Day
If you have any questions, contact the Education Team at education-start@umd.edu.
START in the News
The Numbers on US Political Violence
Vox | The Global Terrorism Database is mentioned
To Counter Rising Political Violence, America Needs to Reinforce Its Early Warning Infrastructure
Just Security | START is mentioned
Government Shouldn't Be Important Enough To Fight Over
Reason | START is mentioned
Attempted Trump Attack Renews Debate Over Political Violence
The National News Desk | START is mentioned
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 policymakers. 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.