Much of the current interest in shock compression of porous solids stems from the desire to bond hard, refractory powders into strong and dense solids. However, while much is known about the effects of shock compression on monolithic materials, the unusual physical and chemical processes that take place when a porous medium is shocked have been little studied thus far. This volume — with contributions by leading researchers in condensed matter physics, physical chemistry, metallurgy, mechanics, and materials science — begins to address that gap. The focus is on heterogeneous deformation mechanisms, nonequilibrium thermodynamics, and chemical processes. The contributions discuss such topics as modeling the complex interplay of thermal, mechanical, and chemical processes; experimental data on pore collapse and their interpretation; and synthesis of new materials through shock-induced chemical reactions. By presenting not only the most recent results, but also the open questions that remain, these essays convey the excitement of developing a scientific basis for understanding shock compression of highly porous solids. Topics covered include > Shock Compression Science in Highly Porous Solids > Shock Loading of Porous High Explosives > Continuum Mixture Modeling of Reactive Porous Media > Two-Phase Media Model of Shock Compression with Chemical reaction > Constitutive Modeling of Shock-Induced Reactions in Powder Mixtures > Discrete-element Modeling of Shock Processes in Powders