Graduate student Shenger “Anna” Dai likes to look at the big picture. “Architecture not just about a single building,” she says. “You have to look at it from a larger scale: how to improve the street traffic and encourage the use of heat resistant construction materials and green rooftops. You want to find ways to improve urban ventilation and energy efficiency.” Her architectural approach was influenced by her grandfather, a traditional Chinese medical doctor. “I watched him practice acupuncture for 20 years using processes that are based on an enormous of knowledge of nerves, muscles, and bones,” she says. “The exact same principle can be applied to the field of urban design.” It’s that holistic perspective that led Dai from Ningbo, China (about 80 miles south of Shanghai), to NYIT-Manhattan. “When I was growing up in China, the country was developing very fast,” she says. “People were surprised by these giant new skyscrapers and I was fascinated as well. I knew that one day I wanted...