Guest Post: Announcing the 2026 Rust-Edu Refresh and CFP
This post was contributed by Mordecai Etukudo and Bart Massey of Rust-Edu. As Rust-Edu is a community-led effort committed to supporting Rust education in the academic environment, the Rust Foundation is excited to amplify their efforts via this guest blog, which originally appeared here.
A New Chapter for Rust-Edu
We are making a fresh start on Rust-Edu https://rust-edu.org.
Founded several years ago, Rust-Edu was created with a clear mission: to promote Rust education globally, with a strong focus on bringing Rust into academia. Thanks to an early and generous contribution from Futurewei (a Rust Foundation Silver Member), the initiative was able to take its first steps toward that vision.
Since then, Rust-Edu has supported the development of educational content and curricula, collaborated with educators and communities, and helped spread awareness of Rust within academic circles. Along the way, we’ve also contributed directly to teaching and learning efforts within the ecosystem.
However, like many grassroots initiatives, sustaining momentum hasn’t been easy. Building and maintaining a consistent, long-term team has proven challenging; eventually Rust-Edu became a largely solo effort. But things are changing.
Recently, the two of us have been working closely together to revitalize Rust-Edu. Mordecai’s energy, organizational experience, and commitment to community growth have brought new life to Rust-Edu efforts. Together, we’re focused on rebuilding the organization into a more structured, collaborative, and impactful initiative.
Where You Come In
This next phase of Rust-Edu is not something we want to build alone: we want to build it with you.
We’re looking for individuals who are passionate about Rust education, particularly in academic environments, and who are excited to contribute their time, ideas, and experience. Whether you’re an educator, developer, student, or community builder, there’s a place for you here.
Please join us on our Rust-Edu Zulip chat. Visit the CFP chat channel where we’ll figure this out together.
In addition, we are forming a Rust-Edu Organizing Committee a group of committed contributors who will help guide and lead our upcoming initiatives. This will involve regular collaboration, planning, and execution of programs that push Rust education forward. If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, please do fill out our application form.
Looking Ahead
We’re optimistic about what lies ahead.
With the right people, shared vision, and consistent effort, we believe Rust-Edu can play a meaningful role in shaping how Rust is taught and adopted in universities around the world.
About the Authors
Bart Massey is a 26-year Portland State University Assistant CS Professor with a PhD in AI. He has taught Rust, Embedded Rust and Rust Web to many students over about eight years. Bart is the founder and current director of Rust-Edu (https://rust-edu.org), promoting and improving Rust education worldwide.
Bart contributes both code and documentation to Rust. He is currently a member of the Rust Embedded Working Group (where he is the Rust Embedded Discovery Book editor) and the Rust Society team. He regularly works with folks in the Rust Project and Foundation on various Rust issues.
Mordecai Etukudo is a backend software engineer and Rust advocate from Nigeria, focused on building scalable systems with async Rust and modern backend tooling. He is a Rust Foundation Fellow and a core organizer of Rust Nigeria, where he leads initiatives to grow the Rust ecosystem through community programs and university adoption.
His work spans open source and distributed systems with a strong interest in expanding access to high-quality technical education across Africa.
