[IKE]

I would personally say that engineering is in many ways the application of physics or other sciences. Because of this, I think one of the most important traits of a good engineer is being able to figure out how "things" work, and using that knowledge to apply it to solutions.
While we often think of engineering and "invention" in the same line, invention is often the re-application of other inventions or ideas.

I specifically use the word "things" above as the "things" can vary a lot. "Things" could be a complex mechanical machine, electrical circuts, a piece of code, buildings, cities, or even people.