Book excerpt: These proceedings represent the latest advances in the mechanics of porous materials, known as poromechanics. The porous materials considered are solids containing voids that are impregnated with fluid. The focus is on the mechanical interactions of the inhomogeneous solid with the single- or multi-phase fluid under the loading of mechanical force, fluid pressure, thermal, chemical, and magnetic fields. The response time can be in static, diffusional, and dynamic ranges. The length scale can start from nano, to micro, macro, and up to field scales. Its application covers many branches of science and engineering, including geophysics, geomechanics, composite materials, biomechanics, acoustics, seismicity, civil, mechanical, environmental, and petroleum engineering. The approaches taken include analytical, computational, and experimental. To honor the pioneering contributions of Maurice A. Biot (1905-1985) to poromechanics, the Biot Conference on Poromechanics was convened for the first time in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium in 1998. The success of the first conference led to the 2nd Biot Conference held in Grenoble, France in 2002. To celebrate the centennial birthday of Biot (May 25, 2005), the 3rd Biot Conference on Poromechanics was held at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.A., on May 24-27, 2005.