Rust Project Joins Outreachy for May 2026 Internship Cohort

Introduction

The Rust Project has steadily built a strong tradition of engaging with open-source mentorship initiatives. Having participated in Google Summer of Code for multiple years, including the current cycle, and previously in OSPP, the project is now expanding its horizons. We are delighted to announce that Rust will be taking part in the Outreachy program, starting with the May 2026 cohort.

Rust Project Joins Outreachy for May 2026 Internship Cohort — Source: blog.rust-lang.org

Each mentorship program brings unique eligibility criteria and target audiences. Outreachy, in particular, focuses on fostering diversity by offering internships to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, systemic bias, or discrimination in the tech industry. To deepen your understanding, you can explore the official Outreachy program details.

What is Outreachy and How Does It Differ from Google Summer of Code?

While Outreachy shares similarities with Google Summer of Code (GSoC), there are key distinctions. First, Outreachy requires applicants to first apply to the overall program before selecting specific communities. In contrast, GSoC allows direct application to projects. Second, Outreachy mandates a dedicated contribution period, making contributions a requirement rather than optional—unlike typical GSoC applications. Finally, both programs have a standard application process, but Outreachy communities select interns based on both the application and the contributions made during the contribution period.

Outreachy runs two internship rounds annually: one from May to August (the current cohort) and another from December to March. Another major difference lies in funding: for GSoC, Google covers stipends and overhead, whereas for Outreachy, the participating communities themselves finance the interns’ stipends and related costs.

Mentoring Four Interns for the May 2026 Cohort

Due to limited funding and mentoring capacity, the Rust Project has chosen to mentor four interns for this outreachy round. Below are the selected projects and their goals.

Calling Overloaded C++ Functions from Rust

Ajay Singh has been selected, mentored by teor, Taylor Cramer, and Ethan Smith. This project aims to implement an experimental feature that allows Rust code to call overloaded C++ functions. The work will begin testing with representative use cases to validate the approach.

Code Coverage of the Rust Compiler at Scale

Akintewe Oluwasola has been selected, mentored by Jack Huey. The objective is to develop workflows that can run and analyze code coverage for the entire compiler test suite, as well as for ecosystem crates detected by crater. The hope is to identify areas within both the compiler and the ecosystem that lack adequate testing, and to build tools for continuous analysis.

Fuzzing the a-mir-formality Type System Implementation

Tunde-Ajayi Olamiposi has been selected, mentored by Niko Matsakis, Rémy Rakic, and tiif. This project focuses on implementing fuzzing for a-mir-formality, an in-progress model for Rust’s type and trait system. The goal is to increase robustness and uncover edge cases.

Conclusion

With these exciting projects, the Rust Project continues to foster open-source collaboration and mentorship. Stay tuned for updates as the May 2026 cohort progresses. For more details on Outreachy, visit the official program page.

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