Guiding students to become practicing scientists entails teaching them the specialized ways of collaborating, writing, and thinking that these professionals utilize every day. Laboratory experiences provide unique opportunities for student-centered curricular activities that mimic these skills. The biodiesel laboratory experience described here connects previously published biodiesel exercises in an intentionally scaffolded experience that models for students the types of collaboration and communication skills they will need if they choose to enter a STEM profession. The collaboration is vertically scaffolded to span multiple courses (general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry) with opportunities for future connections with additional upper-division courses. The experience is writing intensive with a focus on both scientific writing through formal laboratory reports and writing for communication with nonscientists. By encountering this experience repeatedly throughout their chemistry coursework, students have the opportunity to develop the habits of working scientists.