Esen Aksoy was one of my first algebra oriented students. Her thesis
was on geometric combinatorics in in modules over finite abelian
rings where she was successfully able to adopt group action methods
to produce a series of results about the distribution of triangles
and related problems. After returning to Turkey, Esen continuing
working on discrete problems, briefly shifting her focus to
sum-product inequalities before returning to Erdos type problems for
configurations that lack rigidity.
Among my many great memories of working with Esen is her quiet
demeanor and a great sense of humor. When she discussed even the
most complicated aspects of her thesis with me and Jonathan
Pakianathan, Esen always remained calm and focused.