A personal study assistant for university students

What Russell is

Russell is a personal study assistant for university students, currently in beta. A student makes their own account, connects their own coursework, and Russell keeps track of what is due and helps them plan around it. Every account is one student's own — Russell only ever works with the coursework that student connected.

What Russell does

• Today. One list of what is due and what to start on, built from the student's own courses and deadlines.
• Morning and night briefs. A short written rundown of the day ahead and the day behind, at times the student chooses.
• Lecture notes. The student can record or upload a lecture and Russell turns it into a transcript, an outline, a summary, and flashcards.
• Coursework tracking. Russell reads the student's own Canvas assignments and course materials once they connect them, and keeps the deadlines in one place.
• Calendar entries the student asks for (rolling out). Once the student connects a Google account, Russell can add an entry they ask for to a calendar called “Russell” that Russell creates in that account. Russell asks for one narrow permission (calendar.app.created), which lets it see and edit only the calendar it made — never the student's existing calendars. Deleting that one calendar removes everything Russell ever added. The account owner can also allow calendar.events.owned, so Russell can change an event on their own calendars after they say yes.
• Optional text messages. A student who wants their brief and their own deadline reminders as a text can add and verify their mobile number. How Russell's texts work sets out exactly what is sent, how often, and how to stop.

Who runs Russell

Russell is built and operated by Kieran Kilgo, Burlingame, California.

Questions, or a request to have a number or an account removed, go to politicalpenguin27@gmail.com.

Russell is a beta run by one person. It is free today, and it can change while it is in beta.