Cemeteries, if we think about it, are innovative places and spaces for body disposition in the U.S. During the time of the Industrial Revolution in the country, cities expanded rapidly — and so did the rise of pollution and the spread of disease in tightly packed cities. At the time, death was more communal and family-centered, with many homes even having death rooms. Burial grounds were located in city centers and churchyards. But as cities became more crowded and diseases moved quickly, there was a desire for public health interventions, including burials on the outskirts of town.

Where Mourning and Innovation Meet

This gave rise to what was called the rural (or garden) cemetery movement. The name is a misnomer because these areas were not what we think of as urban versus rural today. The rural cemeteries were miles away from city centers to prevent the spread of disease, especially in packed burial grounds. Many credit the first rural garden cemetery in the U.S. as Mount Auburn in Massachusetts, with its sprawling green spaces, carefully planned streets and beautiful sculptures. Elites took trips to the cemetery to see and be seen. It became a space for people to breathe clean air, take picnics and recreate. The cemetery was an innovation in how people buried their loved ones. Some convincing was needed to bury people there because it was a new way of body disposition, but with some creative marketing, the cemetery movement took off.

Cremation changed the sector once again, but that also took some convincing because of religious opposition to burning bodies in Western culture. Again, the innovation was not what many people in the West were used to — burial was always in-ground. How can people mourn when there is no body? My research at Durham University as a Durham Collections Fellow allowed me to look at the archives of The Cremation Society in the United Kingdom, where many records traced the long history of trying to convince Western societies to adopt the practice. Eventually, cremation surpassed in-ground burial as the preferred disposition method globally. We do not often think about our final wishes having anything to do with technology and innovation, but they are so closely linked and ideally should match how we feel about those things during life.

Engineering Sustainable Deathcare Alternatives

Today, the deathcare industry continues to embrace innovative practices. One is natural organic reduction — sometimes called human composting. It is a greener burial option that turns the body into soil through innovative technology based on a process typically found on farms. For humans, bodies are placed in purpose-built vessels that break down the body slowly and eventually turn it into soil that can be used to enrich land. This process, as of now, is legal in 14 states. Aquamation, also called alkaline hydrolysis, is water cremation — another innovative alternative to flame-based cremation.

In my interviews with public servants running municipal cemeteries throughout the U.S., it was interesting to hear how they were handling changes in burial practices. One person in the state of Washington detailed creating a new portion of their cemetery specifically for “cremains” that included paved walkways, water features and a view of Mt. Rainier (when the mountain is visible). Even though cremation plots there are a bit expensive, he said community members are buying them up in droves. Another person in Massachusetts talked to me about finding ways to do green burial in their municipal cemetery without it costing upward of $10,000 and ensuring worker safety because there is no equipment to help lower the decedent into the ground.

Community Service Powered by Humanity

This is why I find it fascinating to be a professor of public administration studying the public servants who choose a life surrounded by death. They provide vital services we rarely see yet might need someday. I have asked about 70 of them why they do what they do. For all of them, it is about helping people through tough times, giving back to the communities they serve and making the lives of the living a bit better. Perhaps innovation lies in the emotional connection they build with other humans. That connection should be at the root of all technology.

About the Researcher
Staci Zavattaro is a professor of public administration in 91�Թ���’s School of Public Administration. Her latest research focuses on the public management of death. She served as 91�Թ���’s inaugural Big 12 Faculty Fellow in 2026, when she visited Iowa State University and the Johnson County Medical Examiner Department to continue her collaborative research. She also served as a in 2022.

The fellowship program enables tenured and tenure-track faculty to visit peers at Big 12 Athletic Conference institutions to exchange ideas, foster research partnerships and address issues to benefit society.

Zavattaro, who joined 91�Թ��� in 2015, studies the public management of death and dying, including how governments and communities deal with issues such as land use, resources, ethics and public policy. She co-authored the recently released book Equity at the End: The New American Way of Death, which explores the complex and often confusing world of deathcare in the United States.

During her one-year fellowship, Zavattaro will collaborate with a leading expert in death management at Iowa State University. Together, they aim to develop a national network of death studies scholars to enhance research excellence and societal impact in the field. She will also do research at an Iowa medical examiner’s department, deliver guest lectures at Iowa State and meet with the university’s students about public administration issues and the study of death management.

“Congratulations to Dr. Zavattaro on this special opportunity,” says John Buckwalter, 91�Թ���’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “This fellowship exemplifies the academic benefits of 91�Թ���’s membership in the Big 12 Conference, which features 16 universities known for many research strengths and high-quality education. I look forward to the scholarship and impact that result from Dr. Zavattaro’s work.”

91�Թ��� joined the Big 12 Athletic Conference in 2023 as the youngest school among the nation’s major athletic conferences. . Applications for the 2026-27 fellowship are open through Jan. 30, 2026.