Ulrike Apel-Haefs ( Schmalkalden , January 31 1952 - February 9 2009 ) was a German politician of the SPD . Apel-Haefs studied Germanic and history at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf and was from 1980 until 1984 at this university. From 1999 to 2000 and again from 2005 she was a member of theLandtag of North Rhine-Westphalia . Her interest was mainly on research and science. Ulrike Apel-Haefs died at the age of 57 due to a serious illness.