What is not a scientist. What is a professional baseball player. He plays second base.
I can only identify one rock by taste.
I am an industrial chemist and consider myself a scientist. The top position on the career ladder I am following is “Scientist.” Such positions where a person is running an experiment but passing off the data for interpretation and analysis are considered technicians. Scientists are those persons who develop the procedures the technicians use by running experiments of their own and interpreting the data.
The engineers I work with make no bones about the fact that they are not nor do they desire to be scientists.
Oh, man…an opportunity to post one of my favorite cartoons where it’s actually relevant!
I loved that cartoon so much I had to print it out and post it where both the scientists and the engineers can see it.
Halite, right?
I can also identify sylvite, dolomite/calcite, baryte, gypsum, borate, trona and azurite/malachite.
Yep. 
Huh. I thought he meant crack.
That’s funny - I thought he meant crack too.
Back to the OP, I’ve heard it suggested that there should be something called a parascientist, sort of like a paralegal, who help scientists and does some of the science-related work without being a full, practising scientist. Maybe that would more adequately cover the people who would be considered technicians as Colibri and others have mentioned.
Jamaika a jamaikaiaké - I bow to your greater direct experience. It probably doesn’t help me that most of my experience with mathematicians is with biostatisticians, who are called upon to contribute to a number of problems with grueling real-world applications.
The biostatisticians you know probably don’t consider themselves mathematicians either.
Geez, you think I’m some kind of Doper? :eek: I’ve never even seen crack (except on TV.)
I have “research associates” in my lab (at a company, not in academia). At worst, I design the overarching experiment, and leave the details to them and they run experiments and get me the data.
They can have smaller projects, within the larger project, if they can handle it. If they show initiative and want to design experiments and know what they’re doing, I would certainly allow some latitude. None have gotten their PhDs, so are not doing truly independent research. I think that sort of fits the bill, no?
Could be - I must admit I’ve never asked! :o