I did some searching; the earliest references to the quote I could find were from the 1960s:

* "in the words of the late Dr. Von Karman, 'The scientist explores what is, the engineer creates what has not been.'" (Brown, 1963)

* "The great engineer Theodore von Karman once said, 'Scientists study the world as it is; engineers create the world that never has been.'" (Glower, 1969)

* "As Theodore von Karman put it, 'The scientist studies what is; the engineer creates what has never been.'" (Farris, 1967)

* "Perhaps the most succinct distinction was made by Von Karman, who was great in both capacities. He said, 'Scientists explore what is and Engineers create what has never been'" (Everitt, 1968, pp. 66-67)

* "Von Karman reminds us that while 'the scientists explore what is ... the engineer creates what has never been' " (Offner, 1967)

* The cover of the booklet The Function of the Engineer & The Scientist contains the following quotes: "The scientist explores what is." "The engineer creates what has not been" (Dr. Theodore Von Karman). The booklet contains a number of similar quotes/statements.

* Earliest reference from the 1960s from the General Motors Conference for Engineering and Science Educators: https://books.google.nl/books?id=pYQiAQAAMAAJ&q=%22scientist+explores+what+is%22+karman+1960&dq=%22scientist+explores+what+is%22+karman+1960&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkoZP3pfvgAhXOL1AKHXDrBSAQ6wEINDAC

I could not find the original quote of Von Karman himself, although he made related statements. E.g., in 1961 he said “The engineering student, in addition to his ability to design something, must also understand the fundamentals of natural sciences.”

Von Kármán, T. (1951). Engineering education in our age. Journal of Engineering Education, 52, 29-31.

Dear Dr. Bošnjaković,

This is a beautiful juxtaposition, but it begs for articulation - due to articulation of science (basic, applied, operative) as well as of engineering. Applied science is the use of scientific processes and primary knowledge as the means, and applied scientists intend to achieve concrete, practical or useful results. The broad range of applied sciences paves the way to various related fields of engineering (to computing, business, medicine, etc.). However, the wide range of specialized disciplines of engineering may show inclination toward science, but also towards art, humanities, society, etc. Design is the number one merger. Typically, the results and developments of engineering are incremental enhancements, rather than never-existed genuine inventions.

Kind regards, I.H.

Thank you for your explanation.

But, what about Nikola Tesla? Is he scientist or engineer?

Dear Dr. Bošnjaković,

Very good point! These academics/professionals are daily examples of the intertwining of the two domains of knowing and doing. They are often characterized as 'inventors'. I remember reading somewhere that they are a different breed. I do not think so: they were/are just more intelligent, ingenious, dedicated, fanatic, creative, pragmatic, committed, etc. (e.g., lucky, fortunate) than the large average working around the intermittent borderline, likewise those who excel on the other ends.

Best regards,

I.H.

Dear Mladen Bošnjaković,

An Engineer is more on the physical aspect of matter (or materials) while a Scientist is more on the functionality & "concepts" related to the matter (or material).

However, both works on same scientific concepts of matter or material in the field of Science and Technology.

Some people say there is no difference between a scientist and an engineer, while other people think the two careers are totally separate from each other.

Scientists and engineers typically have strong opinions about what they do, which makes sense, since it involves discovering, inventing, and improving pretty much everything, right?

The difference between a Scientist and an Engineer:

- Scientists are the ones who create the theories,

- Engineers are the ones who implement them.

- They complement each other, and often work together, the scientists telling the engineers what to make and the engineers telling the scientists the constraints that said thing to be made doesn't meet.

- They are indeed different, but they work very close together.

— The Walker

Scientists:

Are Investigators and Observers

Ask "Why does this happen?"

Explain our world

Engineers:

Are Disigners or Problem Solvers

Ask "How can I make this happen?"

Improve our world

In short, Scientists discover the world that exists; Engineers create the world that never was."

I hope the information will help you.

With Best Wishes,

Samir G. Pandya

Question:

Who designed the high luminosity large hadron collider at CERN?

Answer:

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/100660/reporting/en

Nice quote from Einstein.

I think the quote from Einstein is quite accurate, if you polarize the definition.

In actual practice, scientists often have to engineer their measurement devices, and engineers often need to use scientific methods to test their artefacts.

Whether are engineers firmly on the ground, and scientists are dreamers? Or maybe not?

A philosophical question!!

If engineers and scientists stick to titles duties then we can say that Engineers are a problem-solver, they use knowledge in practical way while Scientist are problem-identifiers and knowledge- discoverers.

Though, reality, any engineer can be a scientist and the reverse holds true. I believe situation defines whether they are one of both or both at the same time.

Esra'a, I agree with you.

Yes, sometimes it is difficult to discern where science ends, and engineering begins. It is often said "scientifically proven", and it is actually proven by engineering ...

Did the discovery of the wheel be a scientific discovery or an engineer?

Will go with engineer cause if we think about it is more about using/applying preexisting knowledge and matter to solve a problem ( staisfying a need).

The innovative component in wheel discovery lies in finding a new application of basic knowledge at that time.

Fake quote from Einstein. Most internet quotes are fake, check sources before posting. Almost every famous quote will be given on Wikiquote if it is real. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein

I did some searching; the earliest references to the quote I could find were from the 1960s:

* "in the words of the late Dr. Von Karman, 'The scientist explores what is, the engineer creates what has not been.'" (Brown, 1963)

* "The great engineer Theodore von Karman once said, 'Scientists study the world as it is; engineers create the world that never has been.'" (Glower, 1969)

* "As Theodore von Karman put it, 'The scientist studies what is; the engineer creates what has never been.'" (Farris, 1967)

* "Perhaps the most succinct distinction was made by Von Karman, who was great in both capacities. He said, 'Scientists explore what is and Engineers create what has never been'" (Everitt, 1968, pp. 66-67)

* "Von Karman reminds us that while 'the scientists explore what is ... the engineer creates what has never been' " (Offner, 1967)

* The cover of the booklet The Function of the Engineer & The Scientist contains the following quotes: "The scientist explores what is." "The engineer creates what has not been" (Dr. Theodore Von Karman). The booklet contains a number of similar quotes/statements.

* Earliest reference from the 1960s from the General Motors Conference for Engineering and Science Educators: https://books.google.nl/books?id=pYQiAQAAMAAJ&q=%22scientist+explores+what+is%22+karman+1960&dq=%22scientist+explores+what+is%22+karman+1960&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkoZP3pfvgAhXOL1AKHXDrBSAQ6wEINDAC

I could not find the original quote of Von Karman himself, although he made related statements. E.g., in 1961 he said “The engineering student, in addition to his ability to design something, must also understand the fundamentals of natural sciences.”

Von Kármán, T. (1951). Engineering education in our age. Journal of Engineering Education, 52, 29-31.

Thank you Mr. Joost for your valuable reply.