The difference between scientists and engineers

I am in a branch of science that is very applied, so like engineers, we are “doers”. (Pure science is for the “thinkers”, but pure scientists are so rare these days that the EPA might soon classify them as endangered (Won’t that be funny, they would all had to wear GPS ear tags, but at least the government would fund projects to encourage their reproduction, (interpret that last crack however you want.)))
Back to the point, I have always considered myself a fairly engineery scientist since it used to be scientists “thought”, and engineers “did”, but I do both. However, yesterday I found a new definition that I think is more accurate given the death of pure science. I was talking to an engineer I work with and I asked him what he was doing. When he told me, and I ask why he was doing that he had already done it once. He replied “last time I had to do it fast, this time I am doing it cheap”. I was baffled, why would he think that spending weeks of work was good idea just to save $216 on an instrument that will cost more than $50,000 to build, when there was no difference in performance? (To his credit fast was a damn good design, that cheap couldn’t possibly beat.) However, there was no doubt in his mind that this was the right thing to do, and I was told that his design was still so expensive that in industry he would be laughed at (mind you removing this control system all together would only save $76 from the “cheap” cost). I would have been happy with adding 0.4% to the cost and spent my time working on getting the next part to work. I don’t wish to cheapen the engineering process since many engineers are scientists too, but the mindset and goals are just different.

So my definition is that “scientists just “do” without regard to how it is done, and engineers “do” it cheaper and faster.” If that was unclear, when a scientist gets something to work it is generally the first time that has been done, so they are just glad it works they don’t care about “how”. Engineers already know “it” works they need to make it last longer, and build it cheaper.