About Tedd F. Sperling

From micro-computers to AI

Early in my career, I helped pioneer the use of micro-computers for geophysical work. I researched and developed one of the first commercial seismic modeling programs for the petroleum industry (MASA® – Micro Assisted Seismic Analysis) and a topographic contouring program (TOPO®) that performed statistical spatial gridding and contouring of three-dimensional data.

Those tools contributed to what is recognized as the first micro-computer oil discovery (the Baker 1-24 well in Calhoun County, Michigan), with production exceeding 100,000 barrels of oil and 1 BCF of gas. Along the way, I developed additional programs for FFT analysis, digital filter design, AVO, synthetic seismograms, and other elements of seismic interpretation and processing.

That same philosophy continues today: when existing tools are not sufficient or transparent enough, I design and build the tools that are needed.

Domains I’ve worked in

Although my formal training is in geophysics, my software work has been intentionally broad. Selected areas include:

• Geophysical modeling and contouring – seismic modeling, spatial gridding, contouring of three-dimensional data, and subsurface interpretation.
• Medical and biological applications – EKG signal analysis by cross-correlation, microscope-based cell measurement, and residual limb digitization for prosthetic socket design.
• Industrial control and remote sensing – computer control of ovens using fuzzy logic, and systems for measuring temperature, humidity, pressure, flow, pH, conductivity, and more.
• Systems and tools for other professionals – a custom CPU Assembler for Dow Chemical, technical evidence and exhibits for legal proceedings, and grant-related research software.
• Web and Internet development – application development using HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, jQuery, and related technologies on a variety of operating systems.

Across all of these projects, the common thread is careful modeling, clear assumptions, and results that can be explained to non-specialists when needed.

Teaching, Ask Sage, and Ask Tedd

In addition to my consulting work, I have spent many years teaching programming, databases, web development, and mobile applications at Lansing Community College. That teaching work led directly to the development of Ask Sage, an AI assistant for students and faculty that runs on institutional infrastructure and focuses on course support and learning.

Separately from my college responsibilities, I designed Ask Tedd, an AI framework for organizations and the general public. Ask Tedd is built to work with a client’s own documentation, procedures, and source code, turning their existing materials into practical, conversational assistance for internal teams and external users. While Ask Sage was created in response to the college’s interest in classroom AI, Ask Tedd is an independent system intended for public and commercial work.

Both systems draw on the same foundation: clean data models, thoughtful user experience, and explainable behavior that can be understood and trusted by the people who depend on them.

Education and publications

My academic background includes an AA degree, a BS (honors) from California State University, and an MS in Geophysics from Michigan State University. Over the years I have published numerous professional papers and made presentations across the country on practical micro-computer applications and the results of various research projects.

I have also completed additional training and certifications in areas ranging from gemology to military police work, reflecting a long-standing interest in how different disciplines approach evidence and decision-making.

For a detailed application resume

This page is a narrative overview. For a more detailed, project-by-project list of my work – including icons and summaries for individual applications – please see my Application Resume, which includes a downloadable PDF and a catalog of selected research and programming achievements.