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Gabey Norris grew up watching her father work as a K-9 unit officer for Saline County in central Kansas. That upbringing sparked her interest in law enforcement and led her to Wichita State University. 

“I love listening to my father tell his stories from work,” she said. “I have always been intrigued by investigations and all kinds of murder mystery shows. My biggest motivation is being able to help the public and bring closure to families who have lost a loved one or had one injured.” 

Norris, a sophomore majoring in forensic science, sees many opportunities in law enforcement after exploring the profession through paid applied learning at the Midwest Criminal Justice Institute at Wichita State. Her forensic science classes prepared her to trace firearms. 

“MCJI partners with different kinds of law enforcement agencies and has given me the opportunity to meet with leaders from them and gain experience in those areas,” she said. 

Norris, from Salina, started her internship last fall and works with Kristin Brewer, executive director of the Midwest Criminal Justice Institute and Shaira Dunn, event, training and program manager. She worked with the Wichita Police Department through the Crime Gun Intelligence Center to learn how to trace firearms and use the software to document the history of the weapon. 

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Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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