About

Martin Holland is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Stuckeman School, Penn State University, having joined the department on August 1, 2024. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.L.A. from the University of Virginia, a B.Des. in Environmental Planning from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Dalhousie University. Holland's research interests encompass the role of commemoration and memorial practices within the built environment, landscape history, landscape conservation and preservation, design pedagogy, and the role of experiential learning in design fields. He has coauthored a book titled 'Representing Landscapes: One Hundred Years of Visual Communication' and has contributed to various scholarly articles and book chapters on topics such as hybridized landscapes, landscape architecture history, environmental design, and urban agriculture. Holland has professional experience working with several design firms and has served in leadership roles within professional organizations, notably as the president of the Alliance of Historic Landscape Preservation. His academic and professional work reflects a focus on landscape history, conservation, and the integration of experiential learning in design education.

Research topics

• Genetics
• Biology
• Sociology
• Computational biology
• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Anthropology
• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Philosophy
• Molecular biology
• Chemistry

Selected publications

• Statistical interpretation of mtDNA matches in two uncommon types of forensic cases

  Forensic Science International Genetics · 2026-02-03

  articleOpen access

  Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis is a frequently used tool for determining the potential origin of biological traces found at crime scenes. The method typically involves comparing the genetic profile of the trace with that of a suspect. While a mismatch between the two profiles usually leads to the exclusion of the suspect, the evidential value of a match is sometimes difficult to grasp. This is particularly true in cases that are more complex than a simple trace-suspect comparison. We considered two such scenarios and developed means for appropriate statistical interpretation of the respective mtDNA results. One scenario requires the evaluation of a composite hypothesis about trace donorship in multiple cases involving an mtDNA profile match with one and the same suspect. The other scenario calls for the consideration of a second mtDNA profile found at the crime scene that matches a matrilineally unrelated contact person of the suspect. For both scenarios, we propose formally linked mathematical methods for interpreting the mtDNA data which, under certain assumptions, allow valid quantification of the evidential value of the latter for or against the suspect. Furthermore, we illustrate the application of both methods with example calculations under realistic assumptions about the required parameters.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessment of Point of Care Ultrasound Use During Third-Year Medical Student Clerkships

  IUScholarWorks (Indiana University) · 2026-04-21

  other1st authorCorresponding

  Introduction/Background: Implementation of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) curricula in undergraduate medical education continues to expand. Data evaluating how POCUS is used by students during clerkships is limited. Study Objective/Hypothesis: The objective of this study was to assess handheld POCUS use by medical students following deployment of personal POCUS devices to all students in their clerkship year. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to students who were six months into their clerkships. The survey consisted of 15 questions evaluating frequency, setting, and barriers of personal POCUS device use. Survey items were refined through pilot testing for clarity and validity. Responses were excluded if students had not completed a rotation with POCUS requirements. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: 81% (304/376) of students completed the survey. After applying exclusion criteria, we analyzed data from 288 respondents. 50% (144/288) of students completed only one rotation with POCUS requirements. Of 288 students, 94% (270) reported using POCUS, with a median of 3 exams per student. 92 (34%, 92/270) students completed 10 or more exams during their rotation(s), with two students completing over 50 exams. Students reported exams were performed in clinical settings (17%, 48/270), nonclinical settings (31%, 84/270), or both (51%, 137/270). The most cited barriers to handheld POCUS use were lack of supervising physician encouragement (56%, 161/288), preference for a cart-based machine (49%, 141/288), or lack of confidence in image acquisition and interpretation (26%, 74/288). Conclusion: Access to a personal handheld POCUS device and clerkship rotation requirements resulted in a high number of students using POCUS. Most students met minimum POCUS exam requirements, while at least one third of students exceeded minimum requirements. Future strategies to increase POCUS use by clerkship students should aim to improve supervising physician support and offer additional POCUS training during clerkships.

  Publisher

• Analysis of hyoid bone variations to estimate sex, age, and morphology: A study on the Croatian population for forensic applications

  International Journal of Legal Medicine · 2026-02-19

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Statistical interpretation of mtDNA matches in two uncommon types of forensic cases

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Statistical interpretation of mtDNA matches in two uncommon types of forensic cases

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Atrial Septal Aneurysm as a Harbinger of Right-to-Left Intracardiac Shunting and Hypoxemia

  CHEST Critical Care · 2025-12-31

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• A Custom qPCR Assay to Simultaneously Quantify Human and Microbial DNA

  Genes · 2024-08-27 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  To date, studies on microbial forensics have focused mainly on sequence analysis and generally do not include information on the quantification of and comparison between the human and bacterial DNA present in forensic samples. Knowing the amount of each type of DNA can be important for determining when and how best to employ bacterial DNA analysis, especially when there is insufficient human DNA for successful short tandem repeat (STR) typing. The goal of this work was to develop a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay that simultaneously quantifies human and bacterial DNA that would be simple and cost-effective for laboratories to implement. Through a reproducibility study and several small-scale experiments, the reliability of a custom qPCR assay was established. A reproducibility study illustrated that the multiplex assay produced data comparable to that of previously established bacterial DNA and human DNA qPCR assays. The small-scale experiments showed that common surfaces such as keyboards (6.76 pg/μL), elevator buttons (11.9 pg/μL), cleaning supplies (7.17 pg/μL), and dispensers (16.4 pg/μL) failed to produce human DNA quantities sufficient for quality STR analysis (≥250 pg). However, all tested surfaces produced bacterial DNA quantities suitable for reaching 1 ng of amplified bacterial targets necessary for sequence analysis. In fact, bacterial DNA concentrations down to 10−8 ng/uL produce enough amplified product for sequencing. The newly developed qPCR multiplex tool will allow scientists to make better decisions regarding whether human or bacterial DNA analysis methods can be pursued during forensic or other investigations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A New Tool for Probabilistic Assessment of MPS Data Associated with mtDNA Mixtures

  Genes · 2024-01-31 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Mitochondrial (mt) DNA plays an important role in the fields of forensic and clinical genetics, molecular anthropology, and population genetics, with mixture interpretation being of particular interest in medical and forensic genetics. The high copy number, haploid state (only a single haplotype contributed per individual), high mutation rate, and well-known phylogeny of mtDNA, makes it an attractive marker for mixture deconvolution in damaged and low quantity samples of all types. Given the desire to deconvolute mtDNA mixtures, the goals of this study were to (1) create a new software, MixtureAceMT™, to deconvolute mtDNA mixtures by assessing and combining two existing software tools, MixtureAce™ and Mixemt, (2) create a dataset of in-silico MPS mixtures from whole mitogenome haplotypes representing a diverse set of population groups, and consisting of two and three contributors at different dilution ratios, and (3) since amplicon targeted sequencing is desirable, and is a commonly used approach in forensic laboratories, create biological mixture data associated with two amplification kits: PowerSeq™ Whole Genome Mito (Promega™, Madison, WI, USA) and Precision ID mtDNA Whole Genome Panel (Thermo Fisher Scientific by AB™, Waltham, MA, USA) to further validate the software for use in forensic laboratories. MixtureAceMT™ provides a user-friendly interface while reducing confounding features such as NUMTs and noise, reducing traditionally prohibitive processing times. The new software was able to detect the correct contributing haplogroups and closely estimate contributor proportions in sequencing data generated from small amplicons for mixtures with minor contributions of ≥5%. A challenge of mixture deconvolution using small amplicon sequencing is the potential generation of spurious haplogroups resulting from private mutations that differ from Phylotree. MixtureAceMT™ was able to resolve these additional haplogroups by including known haplotype/s in the evaluation. In addition, for some samples, the inclusion of known haplotypes was also able to resolve trace contributors (minor contribution 1-2%), which remain challenging to resolve even with deep sequencing.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Identification of skeletal remains in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the homeland war – a 30-year review

  Croatian Medical Journal · 2024-06-01 · 5 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Over the past 30 years, forensic experts from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have embraced advanced technologies and innovations to enable great efficacy and proficiency in the identification of war victims. The wartime events in the countries of former Yugoslavia greatly influenced the application of the selected DNA analyses as routine tools for the identification of skeletal remains, especially those from mass graves. Initially, the work was challenging because of the magnitude of the events, technical aspects, and political aspects. Collaboration with reputable foreign forensic experts helped tremendously in the efforts to start applying DNA analysis routinely and with increasing success. In this article, we reviewed the most significant achievements related to the application of DNA analysis in identifying skeletal remains in situations where standard identification methods were insufficient.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Forensic Aspects of mtDNA Analysis

  2023-02-24 · 2 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Numerous features of the human mitochondrial genome (mtGenome) have been studied in great detail, such as structure, function, copy number, mutation rate, and inheritance patterns. An mtDNA sequence profile can be used to assess ancestral origin, help identify human remains, or link evidential material in criminal casework. The maternal inheritance pattern of the mtGenome reduces the overall discrimination potential, as relatives from a maternal lineage typically share the same profile. Fortunately, the higher mutation rate of the mtGenome results in the frequent occurrence of heterogeneous pools of mtDNA sequence (heteroplasmy) that can increase the power of discrimination and can be used to differentiate material relatives. This chapter provides an overview of the forensically relevant characteristics of the mtGenome, how an mtDNA sequence profile (mitohaplotype) is generated and interpreted, including the emergence of massively parallel sequencing (MPS), and how mtDNA sequence analysis can be used to answer questions raised in forensic investigations.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jennifer A. McElhoe

  Pennsylvania State University

  18 shared

• Dragan Primorac

  University of Osijek

  15 shared

• Walther Parson

  Innsbruck Medical University

  11 shared

• Thomas J. Parsons

  Smithsonian Institution

  8 shared

• Charity A. Holland

  Pennsylvania State University

  6 shared

• Henry Lee

  6 shared

• Stanimir Vuk-Pavlović

  6 shared

• Željana Bašić

  University of Split

  6 shared

Labs

• Landscape ArchitecturePI

Education

• PhD, Biochemistry

  University of Maryland

  1989

Awards & honors

• President, Alliance of Historic Landscape Preservation, 2014…
• Vice-President, Alliance of Historic Landscape Preservation,…