Rust Expands Mentorship: Joining Outreachy for 2026

The Rust Project has a proud tradition of fostering new contributors through open source mentorship programs, having participated in Google Summer of Code for three consecutive years (including the current year) and previously in OSPP. We are thrilled to announce our participation in the May 2026 cohort of Outreachy, a program that provides internships to people from underrepresented groups in tech. Outreachy’s mission aligns with Rust’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity. This year, we are mentoring four talented interns on exciting projects that push the boundaries of the language and its ecosystem. Below, we answer common questions about Outreachy, how it differs from other programs, and the specific projects our interns will be working on.

What is Outreachy and why is the Rust Project participating?

Outreachy is an internship program that offers paid, remote internships to individuals facing systemic bias or underrepresentation in the technical industry where they live. It targets people from any background—including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with disabilities—who are often marginalized in open source. The Rust Project participates because we believe that diverse perspectives strengthen our community and code. By mentoring Outreachy interns, we invest in building a more inclusive ecosystem and gain fresh insights into improving Rust. This aligns with our ongoing efforts in programs like Google Summer of Code and OSPP, reinforcing our dedication to lowering barriers for newcomers.

How does Outreachy differ from Google Summer of Code?

While both programs offer structured internships in open source, key differences exist. First, Outreachy requires applicants to first be accepted into the overall program before applying to specific communities, unlike GSoC where you apply directly to a project. Second, Outreachy mandates a contribution period where participants must make meaningful contributions to their chosen community as part of the application; contributions are optional in GSoC. Third, the funding model differs: for GSoC, Google covers all stipends and overhead, whereas for Outreachy, the hosting community covers the intern’s stipend and associated costs. This financial responsibility often means communities select interns carefully based on both their application and contributions. Both programs run biannually; Outreachy’s cycles are May–August and December–March.

What projects will Rust mentor in the May 2026 Outreachy cohort?

Due to available funding and mentoring capacity, we selected four interns for this cohort. Each project addresses a different aspect of Rust’s development, from language interop to testing infrastructure. The projects are:

• Calling overloaded C++ functions from Rust – mentored by teor, Taylor Cramer, and Ethan Smith; intern Ajay Singh.
• Code coverage of the Rust compiler at scale – mentored by Jack Huey; intern Akintewe Oluwasola.
• Fuzzing the a-mir-formality type system implementation – mentored by Niko Matsakis, Rémy Rakic, and tiif; intern Tunde-Ajayi Olamiposi.
• A fourth project (details to be announced) – ensuring we maximize impact within our resources.

Can you explain the project on calling overloaded C++ functions from Rust?

Intern Ajay Singh will work with mentors teor, Taylor Cramer, and Ethan Smith to implement an experimental feature enabling Rust code to call overloaded C++ functions. Currently, Rust’s FFI (Foreign Function Interface) has limited support for C++ bindings, especially when overloaded functions are involved. This project aims to design and prototype a mechanism that allows Rust to disambiguate and invoke the correct C++ overload based on argument types. The work includes building a proof-of-concept and testing it in representative use cases, such as binding to existing C++ libraries. Success would lay the groundwork for richer interop, making it easier for Rust projects to leverage legacy C++ code while maintaining safety and performance.

What is the code coverage project for the Rust compiler?

Intern Akintewe Oluwasola, mentored by Jack Huey, will develop workflows to analyze code coverage of the Rust compiler at scale. The goal is to run coverage analysis across the entire compiler test suite and on ecosystem crates identified by Crater (Rust’s tool for testing changes on the ecosystem). By measuring which parts of the compiler are exercised, the project aims to detect inadequate testing—both within the compiler itself and in the wider ecosystem. The deliverables include tools for continuous analysis, enabling Rust maintainers to identify untested code paths, prioritize test writing, and ultimately improve compiler reliability and quality.

What is the fuzzing project for a-mir-formality?

Intern Tunde-Ajayi Olamiposi, guided by mentors Niko Matsakis, Rémy Rakic, and tiif, will implement fuzzing for a-mir-formality, an in-progress formal model of Rust’s type and trait system. Fuzzing—automated testing with random inputs—helps uncover edge cases and bugs that manual testing might miss. The intern will build a fuzzer that generates MIR (Mid-level Intermediate Representation) programs and checks whether a-mir-formality’s rules behave as expected. This project aims to increase confidence in the model’s correctness, which is a stepping stone toward potential future improvements in Rust’s type system. The work directly contributes to the long-term reliability and theoretical foundation of the language.

How can interested interns apply or learn more about future opportunities?

While the May 2026 cohort is already underway, you can stay informed about future Outreachy rounds by visiting the Outreachy website for eligibility and timeline details. Rust typically announces participation in mentorship programs via the Rust Blog and the internals forum. For those interested in contributing without a formal internship, we encourage you to explore our compiler contribution guide or join the #rust-contributors channel on Discord. Open source thrives on community effort, and we welcome help from all backgrounds.