The primary means of distributing the Hurd is through Debian GNU/Hurd. However, the installation CDs presently use an ancient, non-native installer. The situation could be much improved by making sure that the newer Debian Installer works on the Hurd.
Some preliminary work has been done, see http://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Hurd.
The goal is to have the Debian Installer fully working on the Hurd. It requires relatively little Hurd-specific knowledge.
Possible mentors: Samuel Thibault (youpi)
Exercise: Try to get one piece of the installer running on Hurd.