This study illuminates the profound impact of research and scientific networks on the formation of new scientists in a small liberal arts college. It challenges the perception of science as rigid and absolute by delving into the intricate interactions between social networks and scientific inquiry. Through ethnographic research following a senior geoscience thesis program at Union College, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and beyond. The study unveils some of the factors influencing the production of research and the development of scientists themselves. It sheds light on the motivations and mechanisms driving research production, emphasizing the pivotal role of the instrumentation within laboratory settings as a non-living agent in the community. Moreover, the study highlights how the scientific community reflect broader kinship-like structures, influencing individuals' educational pathways and career trajectories. By analyzing these networks, the study underscores the power dynamics and social webs that shape the geoscience community, ultimately molding the research landscape and nurturing a new generation of scientists. Finding that the creation of the scientist is as important and ingrained into the scientific community as producing published research.