Students in Carlsbad will get a chance to work with Lego robots this year, thanks to a sponsorship from a local biotechnology company.

Over the next couple of months, educators plan to form a robotics team at each of Carlsbad Unified School District's 14 campuses. The Carlsbad Education Foundation is overseeing the effort, which it plans to pay for with a $49,000 grant from a nonprofit group tied to the Carlsbad-based Life Technologies Corp.

The lessons fit in with the education foundation's focus on bringing more hands-on science into schools, said Valin Brown, executive director of the foundation.

"It gets kids geared up and excited about (science)," he said.

The money will pay for robots made of high-tech Lego bricks, registration fees and other supplies needed for the clubs.

Life Technologies corporation and foundation wanted to support the program, because it gives students "an opportunity to think like scientists and engineers as they tackle rough, real-world problems," said Amanda Clardy, chief marketing officer for the company.

As part of the clubs, students will build the robots and work to program them to complete a variety of challenges. The activities were designed to teach children to apply creative thinking and robotics to real-life situations. Students ages 9 to 18 can participate.

A few schools in Carlsbad had similar clubs last year, but this will be the first time that they've been districtwide. Last year, Kelly Elementary School ranked sixth in the regional competition.

By the end of the school year, Brown said he expects the clubs to be meeting before or after school at each campus. Now, principals are picking coaches for the teams and tracking down interested students.

Eventually, students at each school will participate in a competition held each fall at Legoland in Carlsbad. The competition is a collaboration between The Lego Group and the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The New Hampshire-based nonprofit group ---- better known by its acronym FIRST ---- formed nearly 20 years ago to increase children's interest in science and engineering.

Call staff writer Stacy Brandt at 760-901-4009.