At a crime scene, it appears to be just a table.

Yet with the MSU police department's new technology, it could hold key evidence invisible to the naked eye.

On Thursday, crime scene investigators learned how to use a mini crime scope — a bright light with a pair of goggles designed to find hidden evidence. By using the scope, the CSI team could take the portable unit to a crime scene and find stains on a carpet or footprints on a tile floor.

"With this light, you'll be able to literally see where it is the person actually walked," MSU police Sgt. Maureen Kennedy said. "It's amazing."

Because the light is so strong, it reveals everything from fingerprints and hair follicles to biological stains such as urine, blood and semen.

The scope will make it easier for the police department to connect people with crimes and ultimately prosecute them, she said.

"It gives the forensic team another instrument," Kennedy said.

The price tag on the scope varies between $11,000 and $15,000 but was paid with grant money, Kennedy said.

Assistant forensic biology professor David Foran attended Thursday's training session with a small group of students from the forensic science graduate program.

"They seemed quite excited about it," Foran said.

The forensic science graduate program owns the same machine, he said.

The program uses it for training to find stains that could appear on the scene after a sexual assault. Foran said the program researches and has helped the MSU police department in the past, such as showing new fingerprinting techniques. Still, he hopes the police department and the forensic science school will team up together more in the future.