Worked on a foundational internal API refactor for the freud repository, focusing on improving memory safety and flexibility within Hexatic components. The project involved migrating NeighborList and NeighborQuery to use std::shared_ptr, and refactoring HexaticTranslational and Hexatic classes to accept shared_ptrs in their computeGeneral and compute methods. This C++ work enhanced memory management and clarified object ownership, reducing lifetime fragility and preparing the codebase for future concurrency and performance improvements. No major bugs were addressed during this period, as the emphasis was on architectural modernization and establishing safer, more maintainable resource management practices using object-oriented programming principles.